Countdown to the End
by chello8893
Summary: Told from the perspectives of Gajeel and Levy, Lucy writes this: her greatest novel. In celebration of her dearest friend, she details the life of Levy McGarden, leading up to that fateful day.
1. Prologue

**Hey guys and gals! Yep, another gale/gajevy fanfic! No, there will never be enough. T_T Anyways, thank you so much for checking out this book, and I hope you enjoy it! :D  
Happy reading! ^_^/**

 **Prologue**

Hello! My name is Lucy Heartfilia. I would like to humbly thank you for taking the time to pick up this book. This isn't the first novel I have written, nor will it be the last. But, it _is_ the most important to me, and the one I hold dearest to my heart. I should probably warn you now: this is not a happy novel. If you don't read it, well, that's fine I suppose. But if you do take the time to read it, then I sincerely thank you.

A long time ago—about sixteen years ago to be precise—I joined the greatest guild in all of Fiore. Fairy Tail. About a year after I joined, something happened, causing several of Fairy Tail's members (myself included) to disappear for seven long years. In that time, none of us aged, and it was as though time had been put on "pause" for us. When we finally came back, a lot had changed. A lot happened, too! Fairy Tail went from being number one, all the way to the bottom, and then back to number one again! After that time, everything was great at the guild, and it seemed as though everything had gone back to normal. And, for a while, it stayed like that. For three more years, in fact, everything was how it had been before our seven-year absence. But then, because nothing can stay perfect for long, things began changing.

Before I get to the point, I want to tell you all about Levy McGarden. From the very first day I joined the guild, Levy and I formed a bond that made us the best of friends. Her love of books and my love of writing brought us together. At the time, I was a novice at novel-writing, and hadn't published several works—nor was I well-known for my novels like I am today. Back then, I was a teenager with a dream, and Levy supported that dream by being the best friend she could, and encouraging me to never give up. Because of all of these things, I had promised to let Levy be the first person to read my novel once I had completed it. Unfortunately, that day never came. I never finished that novel. Actually, on the day that the news reached the guild of what had happened, I ripped it to pieces and burned it.

That's jumping ahead, though. I want to talk a little about Gajeel Redfox next. You probably all know him as "Black Steel Gajeel" or "The Great Iron Dragon Slayer". From what I've heard, he mostly goes by those two names now, and is a rather famous wizard. When Gajeel was first introduced to our guild, everyone hated him. Not only had he destroyed our guildhall, but he had totally beaten up Levy and her teammates! When Master Makarov had let him join, obviously there was a lot of retaliation against him; however, none of it came from Levy, the person who had the most reason to hate him.

Instead, he and Levy became really close friends. He always seemed to be there when she needed him, and she brought out a softer side in him that no one knew existed—not even himself. After returning from our sever-year absence, and our triumph during the Grand Magic Games, the two grew closer. They even began going on missions together— _without_ Gajeel's Exceed, Pantherlily, or Levy's teammates, Jet and Droy. After a while, it was obvious that the two liked each other—to everyone but themselves. It was around the time that both of them realized their feelings for one another that everything happened.

At first, I think everyone was too shocked to react to the news. However, after it finally sank in, we all experienced a dramatically wide range of emotions. The most common was sadness. It hung in the air like a smothering smoke that couldn't be blown away. Some of the guild members, like Jet and Droy, became angry and withdrawn. To this day, I still don't talk to either of them very often. After leaving the guild only a month after the incident, the two parted ways, and didn't contact anyone from the guild after that. The person who suffered the most though, was Gajeel. Not only did he have to deal with the news like everyone else, he had to carry the weight of it on his shoulders.

On that day, Fairy Tail changed forever, and so did its members. For nearly a year after it happened Natsu and Gray didn't have the spark to even argue, Mira's usually cheerful smile had turned to a sad frown, and I vowed to never write again.  
And that, my readers, is why I am writing this: my most important novel. I want to tell you all the story of the most caring and brave wizard I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She brought joy to everyone around her, and was compassionate enough to turn a man with an iron heart into a gentle, loving soul.  
To allow you a better look into the life of my dearest friend, I shall tell you the story from the perspectives of Gajeel and Levy. Starting from one month, all the way up to _that_ day, exactly five years ago.

The day Levy McGarden died.


	2. The Countdown Begins at 28

**_~Levy~_**

"Levy!" Lucy shouted, drawing my attention away from the large novel in my hands.

"Hey, Lu-chan!" I smiled, waving. "Are you not meeting up with Natsu today?"

"I am this afternoon," Lucy sighed, sitting next to me on the soft grass. "He and Happy went somewhere with Erza, claiming to have some kind of special training with her."

"Special training?" I murmured, curious as to what they could be doing.

"Yeah, it's weird. I tried asking him what it was, but that's all Natsu told me last night. He jumped out my window before I could press him for more information."

"Natsu certainly does spend a lot of time at your house, doesn't he?" I chuckled, grinning at her.

"He never leaves!" She cried, falling onto her back with an exasperated sigh. "He always barges in without asking, and stays until he feels like going to bed. Sometimes, he just _doesn't_ leave, and hogs my bed!" She complained.

"Sounds like he likes it at your house," I winked.

Lucy blushed, "well, it's annoying."

"Sure," I grinned.

"It—it is!" She insisted.

"What's annoying?" Natsu asked, walking towards us.

"Nothing," Lucy snapped, hiding her blush from him.

I couldn't help but giggle. If Lucy and Natsu would have taken a second to think about it, they would have realized how much they liked each other. _Too bad they're both kind of dense when it comes to that sort of thing._

"Hey, Shrimp, you ready to go?" Gajeel's rough voice immediately grabbed my attention.

"Um, yeah," I nodded, standing.

"See you later," Lucy winked, walking away with Natsu and Happy.

"Bye!" I waved, following Gajeel as blush burned on my cheeks.

"Are you alright, Levy?" Lily asked. He frowned at me, and I knew he was referring to my flushed face.

"Yeah," I nodded, "it's just a little warm outside, that's all."

"It's the middle of summer," Gajeel said, "what do you expect?"

"Lily asked, so I was just answering him," I snapped. "I know it's the middle of summer. If anyone here doesn't know that, it's _you_. How can you wear pants and boots in this heat?"

"It doesn't bother me," he shrugged.

"Well, the heat isn't bothering me, either," I informed him. We walked in silence for several minutes, both of us refusing to break it. _Why'd he get all huffy? I wasn't complaining._

"We're here," Gajeel said, finally breaking the silence as he stopped outside the gates of Fairy Hills. "We'll wait here while you pack."

"Okay." I rushed into the building and quickly went to my room. After unlocking the door, I stepped inside the room which had been mine since I was a little kid and had first arrived at Fairy Tail. It smelled of paper and ink—probably due to the maze of bookcases that decorated my entire room. I made my way to my bedroom and grabbed the small backpack I liked to use when I went on overnight jobs. It was light, but held a lot, so it wasn't a bother to carry around for long periods of time.

I grabbed a spare dress and headband, a flashlight, a pack of matches, three bottles of water, and a small knife, and shoved them all inside my backpack. I wasn't sure if we would be sleeping outside, so I grabbed two blankets and added them to the bag as well. When I was satisfied with my supplies, I grabbed the novel I had been reading off my nightstand, and rushed to meet Gajeel and Lily where I had left them a few minutes before.

"Took long enough," Gajeel grunted, heading towards the outskirts of Magnolia.

"Unlike you, I like to be prepared," I frowned, noticing that he hadn't even packed food for the trip.

"I don't need all that stuff," he shrugged.

"He's just too lazy to pack," Lily sighed, causing me to giggle.

"Damn cat," Gajeel grumbled under his breath.

"So, what exactly are we going to be doing? You just told me we were going on a job, and didn't really explain."

"We're going to some ancient library ruins to find an old artifact for the client. In the description, it said he wanted us to find it and bring it back to him. I guess he's a collector or something, and the ruins are too dangerous for him to go himself to look for it. I think there are some kind of beasts that live in the area, so no one can get close to it," Gajeel explained.

"What's the artifact?" I asked.

"Some kind of sword. According to the flier, the blade is small and curved, and shines a brilliant blue when you use it. The hilt is silver, and decorated with ancient symbols and jewels," Lily said.

"It sounds beautiful," I said, excitedly. The thought of getting to explore nearly undisturbed ancient ruins made me want to get there that much sooner—and the fact that they were _library_ ruins made me even more excited.

"Sounds boring as hell to me," Gajeel muttered.

"You should learn to appreciate history," I told him, looking into his red eyes. "Imagine the things we could learn while there! Not many people get an opportunity like this."

"Yeah yeah," he said, "stop naggin' me already."

"I'm not nagging you," I huffed, "I'm just saying—"

"Shh," he cut me off, holding up his hand. We had reached the edge of the forest that I'm guessing we would have to go through to reach the ancient library. Gajeel was staring into the trees intently, as if he had seen something.

"What is it?" I whispered, looking at him.

"Nothing," he shrugged, giving me a sly smirk, "I just wanted you to shut up. Gihi."

"You jerk!" I snapped, swinging my backpack and hitting him in the back of the head with it. "And I thought there was something wrong!" Furious, I stormed into the forest, putting several feet between us as I marched forward. _Stupid Gajeel! If he didn't want to listen, he should have just ignored me! He can be so rude!_

 ** _~Gajeel~_**

"What the hell was that for?" I growled, rubbing the back of my head. Levy had assaulted me with her damned backpack, and I had one hell of a lump.

"You deserved that," Lily said.

"Traitorous cat," I fumed, going after Levy. She had practically ran into the forest, and was so far ahead that I couldn't even see her anymore.

"You really shouldn't have done that," Lily continued. "Levy finds this sort of thing really interesting, so you probably insulted her a lot by mocking her like that."

"Fine, I'll apologize when we catch up to her, alright?" I snapped.

Lily sighed, shaking his head. "Let's just find Levy."

"That damned Shrimp ran off and doesn't even know where we're going!" I said, stomping through the trees as I followed her scent.

"AHH!" Levy's yell had me running through the trees, instantly forgetting that I was mad at her for hitting me.

"Levy!" I shouted, finally finding her. "What's wrong?" I asked, putting myself between her and whatever the threat was.

"Oh, I—I tripped over a tree root," she said, sounding embarrassed. "Sorry to have worried you."

"Tch. I wasn't," I said, silently relieved that that's all it had been.

"Levy, your knee," Lily said, pointing to her left knee.

"Ouch," Levy gasped, noticing the scrapes covering her skin, and the droplets of blood that had begun making their way down her leg.

"Sit down," I instructed, taking the backpack from her. "Do you have a first aid kit in this thing?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I'll get it."

I shook my head when she reached for it, sitting on the ground in front of her. "I got it." I dug through the black-hole-of-a-bag, finally finding the small square box with the all too familiar red plus sign on the front of it.

Ignoring her gasp of protest, I propped her left leg over my knee. As gently as I could—and trying not to think about how soft the skin on her leg was—I wiped the blood from her wound and applied an antibacterial ointment to it. She winced slightly from the ointment, but didn't make a sound. I stuck a large bandage over her knee before patting her on the head. "All done," I grinned.

"Th-thanks," she muttered, moving her leg away from me as fast as she could. I noticed her face looked slightly flushed again, so I leaned closer to her. "W-what is it?" She asked, leaning away.

"You sure you're feelin' alright?"

"Can we just get going?" She snapped, clearing her throat and getting to her feet. "I'm eager to get there—even if _you_ think it will be boring."

"Ah, don't hold a grudge over something stupid like that," I sighed.

"You may think it's stupid, but I find a lot of pleasure in learning new things."

"I find pleasure in a lot of things, but ancient ruins isn't one of them," I grumbled.

Lily snorted softly beside me, rolling his eyes. "I bet I can guess what one of those things are," he smirked, sending a pointed glance in Levy's direction.

"Are you two coming?" Levy asked. I silently thanked Mavis that Levy hadn't heard my big-mouthed cat's smart-ass comment.

"I don't know why you're in such a rush," I said, walking in front of her, "you don't even know where this village is."

"If you don't hurry up, I'll just have to wander around alone until I find it," she informed me, stubbornly.

"Is that so?" _One thing I'll give the Shrimp—she's not afraid of anything._

 ** _~Levy~_**

Gajeel, Lily, and I walked for several hours, stopping occasionally to get a drink of water and take a rest. When the sun began to sink below the trees, I pulled my flashlight from my bag, and clutched it tightly. I hated the dark, and I had a feeling not much moonlight would be able to reach through the ceiling of leaves above us.

As much as I wanted to stop and make camp, I forced myself to stay silent. I walked as close to Gajeel as I could possibly get without touching him, feeling security in his closeness.

"Hey," Gajeel suddenly said, causing me to jump.

"What?" I asked.

"Let's rest here for the night. I'm tired of walking, and you look pale."

"That sounds good to me," I nodded, thankful. "Should we make a fire?" I asked when he just laid down on the ground, tucking his hands behind his head comfortably. Lily curled up beside him, falling asleep almost instantly.

"Why should we? It'd be a waste of time since it's already warm outside," he yawned.

"R-right," I nodded, laying down several feet away from him. _It would definitely be weird if I went to sleep right next to him—even though I really want to._ I kept my flashlight on and wrapped myself tightly in one of the blankets I had packed, telling myself we would only be there a few hours.

"Aren't you going to turn that off?" Gajeel asked, looking at me. "It'll just attract insects."

"Oh, yeah," I said, reluctantly switching it off. With the flashlight turned off, and no light from the moon, we were now in total darkness. I couldn't even see my hand when I held it up directly in front of my face.

 _Don't worry, Levy! Gajeel and Lily are only a few feet away, so it's not like anything will sneak up on us._ Suddenly, something warm touched my arm. I shrieked, striking at whatever had touched me with my flashlight.

"Ow!" Gajeel yowled.

I gasped, hurriedly turning on the flashlight. Gajeel cupped his left cheek in his hand, glaring at me. "Why the hell'd you do that?!" He growled.

"I-I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed. "You startled me."

"So you _attacked_ me?!"

"I didn't know it was you," I mumbled, embarrassed. I had let my fear of the dark get the better of me, and now Gajeel probably thought I was a foolish coward.

"If you're afraid of the dark, why didn't you say something?" He asked, calming down.

"I'm n-not," I lied.

"I could feel your fear from all the way over there," he sighed, not buying it.

"W-well, I didn't want to make a big deal out of something so stupid," I shrugged.

"If you're afraid of something, it's not stupid," he told me, gently placing one of his large hands on the top of my head. "You need to speak up if you don't like something. Most of the time you're bossing me around, and you never let anyone give you any crap. So how-come when it's something you want, you never say anything for fear of inconveniencing someone?"

"I—"

"Forget it," he said, interrupting me. "Let's just get some sleep. Leave that thing on if you want to."

I nodded, laying down. I heard Gajeel mumble something, but before I could ask what he had said, Lily approached me. "Would it be alright if I shared your blanket?" He asked.

"Sure," I smiled, more than happy to allow him to snuggle next to me under the blanket.

"Gajeel asked me to lay with you, you know," Lily chuckled, quietly.

I blushed, glancing over at Gajeel. "You'll have to thank him for me," I whispered, closing my eyes. Now that I had some form of light, and the comfort of Lily's warm body next to mine, I wasn't so nervous. As I began to relax, sleep came more quickly, wrapping its wonderful arms around me and carrying me off to relaxing bliss.

 ** _~Gajeel~_**

After Levy had turned her flashlight off, I could practically _feel_ how afraid she was from where I was laying. With a sigh, I made my way over to her, walking slowly because of the darkness. I gently touched her on the arm, trying to get her attention. With a shriek, she turned and hit me with something hard—right on my cheek.

"Ow!" I yowled, cupping my face in my hand. A painful throbbing instantly made its way throughout my entire head.

She gasped and turned on her flashlight. _She hit me with a_ flashlight _?!_ "Why the hell'd you do that?!" I growled.

"I-I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, looking concerned as she stared at my sore face. "You startled me."

"So you _attacked_ me?!"

"I didn't know it was you," She mumbled, obviously embarrassed. She cast her hazel eyes down towards the ground, refusing to look at me.

"If you're afraid of the dark, why didn't you say something?" I asked, calming down. It was impossible to stay mad at her when she made a face like that.

"I'm n-not," she said. I almost chuckled, knowing immediately that she was lying.

"I could feel your fear from all the way over there," I sighed.

"W-well, I didn't want to make a big deal out of something so stupid," she said, shrugging.

"If you're afraid of something, it's not stupid," I told her. Before I could stop myself, I reached out and placed a hand on her head, slightly ruffling her blue hair. "You need to speak up if you don't like something. Most of the time you're bossing me around, and you never let anyone give you any crap. So how-come when it's something you want, you never say anything for fear of inconveniencing someone?"

"I—"

"Forget it," I said, interrupting her. "Let's just get some sleep. Leave that thing on if you want to." She nodded as I got up, and wrapped herself back up in her blanket.

"Good night, Shrimp," I mumbled as I rejoined Lily several feet away.

"Hey," I whispered, shaking him awake.

"What?" He asked, groggily.

"Go lay next to Levy," I said. Although she had put on a brave face, I knew her fears wouldn't go away just because she had the flashlight on. Especially since she had put so much distance between us. _It's not like I'm that damned scary. Why's she laying so far away?_

"Why don't you—"

"Just go," I snapped, shoving him in Levy's direction. I rolled to my side, turning my back to them as Lily asked to sleep next to Levy. I heard them whisper something after she had agreed, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. In just a few short minutes, Levy's breathing deepened. I sighed, knowing she had fallen asleep, and closed my eyes to join her.


	3. 27 Days

**_~Levy~_**

I awoke to the sound of wood crackling and popping as it burned and the smell of meat cooking. It wasn't a familiar smell, but it made my stomach growl uncomfortably from hunger.

"Good morning," Lily smiled at me as soon as I had opened my eyes. He was sitting beside me, and faced the fire that was only a few feet in front of me. It was nice and warm, making it hard to force myself awake and to sit up.

"Morning," I yawned, rubbing my eyes. "What's cooking?"

"Something Gajeel caught," he shrugged. "It was cooking when I woke up a few moments ago, so I'm not sure."

"Whatever it is, it smells amazing," I said, taking a deep breath.

"They're tree lizards," Gajeel said, from the other side of the fire.

"Lizards?" I asked, looking wearily at the skewered meat cooking.

"If you don't want it, go find your own damned food," Gajeel said, frowning.

"I'll eat it," I told him, mirroring his frown. "There's no need to get so angry."

"I'm not angry!"

I gave Lily a skeptical look, raising my eyebrow. "He sounds angry to me."

Lily chuckled, nodding. "He does."

Cursing, Gajeel grabbed one of the sticks from the fire and began eating. "Hurry up and eat if you're gonna. We need to get going."

I took one of the sticks and hesitantly took a bite out of it. "It's good!" I said, surprised. "It tastes a lot different than I expected."

"I agree," Lily said, "it's quite good."

"Then eat," Gajeel told us. "We're almost there. We should be able to finish in time to make it back to Fairy Tail tonight."

"You think so?" I asked. "That's sooner than I thought."

"If everything goes smoothly, then yeah," he nodded.

We ate in silence after that. I took the opportunity to look around, not having the chance to before because of the dark. The trees around us stretched above our heads by several feet, and their leaves fanned out, meeting the leaves of the surrounding trees to form a sort of ceiling. On the ground there were many species of plants, all ranging in color and size.

"This forest is actually very beautiful," I noted.

"It's known for its extraordinary flora," Lily said.

"Extraordinary what?" Gajeel asked, giving the Exceed a blank stare.

"Plants," Lily explained. "Apparently, there are several rare species that grow here."

"I bet there are a ton of rare books in that library," I sighed, my thoughts drifting in anticipation to what we might discover once we found the ruins. "I'd love to explore it a little bit before we take the artifact to our client."

"We'll have time after we find the artifact," Gajeel said.

I gave him a startled look. "You wouldn't mind?"

He shrugged, looking down at the clean stick in his hands, "not like I got anything better to do."

"Great! I look forward to it, then," I told him, smiling.

 ** _~Gajeel~_**

 _Why the hell did I just agree to that? I hate that kind of thing, so why'd I offer to stay while she looked around a damned library?_ I frowned into the fire as I thought, watching the flames dance hypnotically as they burned the wood. I sometimes found myself staring off into space like I would the flames of a fire, thinking about things—usually the Shrimp.

For some reason, I couldn't say no to her. Every time she asked me to do something with her, I automatically agreed, even if it was something I didn't much care for. I had spent more than one hellish afternoon sitting at the library while she did research for something or another. Before I could stop myself, my big mouth always blurted out "sure," or "whatever," and I ended up going along with whatever she wanted. _Damned Shrimp._

"Shall we get going?" Levy asked as she rolled up her blanket and tucked it into her backpack.

"Yeah." I stomped out the fire, then headed farther into the trees.

"What kind of beasts do you think live around the library?" Levy pondered aloud, nervously.

"No idea," I shrugged.

"Perhaps a type of Vulcan," Lily said.

"Hopefully," she nodded. "Vulcans wouldn't be too difficult to deal with."

"I can handle any kind of beast," I huffed.

Levy giggled. "I'm sure there's _something_ in the world that even the great Gajeel Redfox can't defeat."

"Maybe, but I haven't found it yet," I smirked.

She rolled her eyes, laughing, but stopped when a loud roar came from the trees ahead of us. "W-What was that?" She asked.

"The fun part," I grinned, giving Lily a small nod before he transformed and the two of us ran into the trees to take out whatever was there.

"What is that?" Lily gasped as we came upon the creature. It was huge. Probably three times the size of a Vulcan.

It was some sort of four-legged beast with light purple fur and red spikes trailing down its back, getting smaller as they reached the short tail. On its front feet were wickedly sharp red claws, and I noticed that even its eyes were the same red color.

"Let's take it down quickly," I told him. "Iron Dragon's Sword!" I shouted, swinging at the beast's head. It dodged with incredible speed despite its size and clawed at me. Lily appeared just in time, lopping off the clawed hand coming down on me.

"I could have dodged that," I said, frowning.

"You're welcome," he smirked, kicking the beast as it roared again.

"Tch." I planted my feet firmly on the ground and took a deep breath. Lily saw me and moved out of the way, knowing what I was about to do. "Iron Dragon's Roar!" My attack hit the beast, sending bits of iron through his body, and blowing him through several trees.

"Wasn't that a little too much?" Levy asked, causing me to jump. I hadn't even heard her approach us.

"I killed it, so who cares?" I shrugged.

She sighed, shaking her head. "Well, let's keep going. It's hard to tell how many more will be coming, with all of the noise you made."

"You think _you_ could do it any quieter?" I snapped.

She smirked, "I think _anyone_ could do it quieter."

"Fine," I frowned, "the next one that comes around, you can prove it."

"Fine," she snapped, walking farther into the trees.

"Where are you going?" I sighed, following her. I tried hard to ignore the disapproving look Lily was giving me as we walked.

"I'm going to the library ruins."

"You don't even know how to get there," I said, reaching in my pocket to get the map. "What the?" I stopped, looking around me when I felt only my empty pockets.

"Looking for something?" Levy chuckled, waving a piece of paper in her hands.

"How did—"

"You left it behind earlier when you ran off in a rush," she frowned. "It was a good thing I saw it."

"Yeah, yeah," I huffed, walking beside her.

We walked in silence for a long time. Levy's small gasp finally broke the silence when we reached the ruins. The building was in a small clearing, though some trees had begun growing around the building, and even through the steps leading up to the main entrance.

I helped Levy up onto the top step, then grabbed the old banister and hoisted myself over as well. She pushed hard on the large wooden doors, but they didn't budge. "A little help?" She frowned, looking at me. Sighing, I kicked the doors in.

"Gajeel!" She gasped, angrily, and the sound of wood hitting the stone floors echoed through the open doorway. "We didn't come here to destroy the place! This library holds a ton of ancient history, so try to be gentle."

"We didn't come here for old books," I growled, going inside. "We came to get that artifact."

"And then _look_ at books," Levy reminded me.

"After," I nodded.

"Alright, let's split up. I'll head to the upper level while you two search down here." Before I could comment on her plan, she rushed up the stairs and disappeared behind a few dust-covered bookcases.

"She's totally going to abandon the mission for those books, isn't she?" I asked, looking down at Lily.

He chuckled. "Probably."

"You'd better go with her—" Her startled shriek cut me off, and I sprinted up the stairs. "Levy!" I shouted, spotting her pinned to the floor with a smaller version of the beast we fought before on top of her.

"Solid Script: Fire!" She shouted, throwing the word into the beast's open mouth. It roared in pain, releasing her in order to tend to its burning mouth. Not giving it time to recover, she jumped to her feet and cast another spell. "Solid Script: Restraint! Hole!" The first word snaked around its body, while the second word opened up the floor beneath the beast. I heard it crash to the floor below, so I turned and ran back down the stairs.

"Iron Dragon's—"

"Wait!" Levy exclaimed. "Don't destroy the books!"

I groaned, ignoring Lily's chuckle. "Damn it." I grabbed the beast's tail, holding it firmly in place. "Lily!"

"Right!" He transformed, drew his sword, and finished off the beast. As it turned to dust, Levy caught up to us.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"You looked like you had it handled," I shrugged, trying to ignore the odd feeling deep in my chest as she smiled appreciatively at me.

"I mean for holding back," she grinned.

"Let's keep looking," I said, turning away from her. "Call for me if you find anything. And take Lily with you."

"Sure thing," she sighed. I heard her heading back up the stairs, so I shook myself. _Why am I so distracted when she's around?_ Whatever the reason, I would worry about it later. My goal was to find that artifact so we could go home.

During my search, I ran into two more of those beasts, and I heard at least one more fight coming from upstairs. Judging by the amount of those things, I assumed that meant the artifact was still somewhere in the library.

"Now if we could just find the damned thing."

 ** _~Levy~_**

"What if it's not here?" I sighed. Lily and I had just finished searching another section, and had come up empty-handed. There were only a couple of areas left in the upper level, so I wasn't sure we would actually find anything. _Hopefully Gajeel is having more luck than we are._

"It's here," Lily said, confidently. "I have a good feeling."

"I hope you're right," I mumbled.

"I'll search the last section to the North, you should take the one to the South."

I nodded, going to one of the only sections we had yet to search. It, too, contained nothing but books. _I wish I had more time,_ I thought to myself as I gently touched some of the leather-bound spines on the shelf. _I'd love to read some of these. Who knows what kind of information is hidden away in all of these pages?_

"Levy! Gajeel!" Lily's voice echoed through the building as he called to us. I reached him about the same time Gajeel came sprinting up the stairs.

"What?" He asked as soon as he reached us.

"I think I found it," Lily said, pointing to a small podium with a glass case sitting on top of it. I could see the glint of silver as we all approached, and I knew he was right.

"Wow," Gajeel whistled when we got close enough to see the artifact.

"It certainly is beautiful," Lily nodded, flying above us.

I frowned, looking down at the oddly familiar object. "This is—"

"It's the weirdest sword I've ever seen," Gajeel grunted.

I shook my head. "This isn't a sword."

"What is it?" Lily asked.

I opened the glass case, gently picking it up. It was the size of a sickle, and vaguely resembled one as well. I knew, though, that this wasn't any kind of normal weapon. "It's a light pen."

"A light pen?" Gajeel asked, shocked. "That doesn't look like a light pen."

"It's strange," I agreed, "but that's definitely what it is. I know I've seen a photograph of one of these before in a book. I can't remember what exactly it was used for, but it's some sort of ancient light pen."

"Judging by its placement here, on display in a glass case, I'd say it was valuable, too," Lily added.

"Probably," I nodded.

"Who cares?" Gajeel shrugged. "We got what the client wanted, so it doesn't matter what it is or if it's valuable."

"I think it matters a great deal," I frowned. "If the client was under the impression that this was a sword, then he was very mistaken. What if he no longer wants it once he figures out it isn't a sword?"

"Then we wasted our time coming out here, and I'll be seriously pissed." He growled.

"This is an opportunity to learn something," I told him. "You did promise to let me look around, anyways, so I'm going to try to figure out if there is something here that tells us what that light pen does."

"Fine," he sighed. "I'll take that thing and wait downstairs for you."

"Alright." I handed him the light pen and immediately began dusting off book spines in search of something helpful.

"This is incredible," I mumbled, dusting off the third shelf of books. The titles were all written in the language of the ancients, and had been organized alphabetically. Since the light pen had been near this particular bookcase, I looked for books that related to that subject. _Any kind of magic that would require that kind of pen must be quite unique._

Finally, I found a book that was about different types of light pens. The pages smelled of dust and were yellowed with age. I couldn't stop myself from smelling the paper as I sat on the floor and flipped through the pages.

"There!" I murmured, quietly. There was a picture of the same light pen Gajeel, Lily, and I had found. I read the description, frowning slightly at the mention of ancient solid script magic. Before I could read any more, Gajeel called, telling me that he was leaving—with or without me.

"Coming!" I called back, hurriedly stuffing the book into my bag. _The library won't miss just one book, right?_ I told myself that I wasn't stealing the book, anyways, since it didn't _technically_ belong to anyone. _Besides, I'm using it to learn more about magic, so there can't be any harm in that._

After nearly three hours of walking, we reached a small town. Gajeel had remain quiet for most of the journey, frowning to himself as if he were in thought. _Yeah right,_ I chuckled to myself, knowing that Gajeel wasn't the deep-thinking type.

"Is this where the client lives?" I asked as we walked up to a small yellow house. Gajeel nodded as he knocked on the door.

A young woman, about the same age as myself, cracked the door open to look at us. With a small gasp, she slammed the door closed, undid the chain lock, and threw it open again. "Gajeel!" She squealed, wrapping her arms around Gajeel's neck as she jumped on him in a blur of aquamarine hair.

I stared at her in open-mouthed shock. I had never seen anyone act so friendly towards Gajeel—or someone who was brave enough to _jump_ on him like that. I looked down at Lily for an explanation, but he looked just as shocked as I was.

"Get off," Gajeel grunted, detangling the woman's arm from around his neck.

"Gajeel," she gasped, her green eyes growing wide when she saw me, "you didn't tell me you had a girlfriend!"

"She's not my girlfriend!" "He's not my boyfriend!" We shouted at the same time, glancing at each other before falling into an awkward silence.

The girl smirked at us, giggling when she held her hand out for me to shake. "I'm Deidre."

"Levy," I smiled, shaking her hand. "And this is Lily," I told her, pointing to Lily.

"Hi Lily!" Deidre grinned. "It's pleasure to meet you!"

"You as well," he told her.

"Deidre," I began, curious, "how do you know Gajeel?"

"Well, we—"

"That doesn't matter," Gajeel interrupted, giving the girl a pointed look that said _shut up_. "Is your father home?"

"He's out back," she nodded. "Come on, I'll take you to him." She grabbed Gajeel's hand, dragging him into the house.

"I wonder how they know each other," Lily whispered as we followed them.

"Ex-girlfriend?" I suggested.

"I find that hard to believe," Lily chuckled. "Can you imagine Gajeel with a girlfriend?"

Unfortunately, I couldn't. _I wish._ The thought crept into my head before I could stop it, and I cursed to myself. "Not really."

"Daddy, look who came to visit," Deidre said as we exited a back door leading out to the back yard.

"Gajeel Redfox," an old man chuckled, grabbing Gajeel's hand and shaking it enthusiastically. "It certainly has been a while, hasn't it? What is it, ten years now?"

"Only three for me, old man" Gajeel grinned.

"We can't all get stuck in a magic bubble for seven years," he grinned back.

"These are Gajeel's companions, Lily and Levy," Deidre smiled.

The old man's grin turned to a smirk when his eyes fell on me. "Never thought you'd bring a girl home," he teased, pulling me into a one-harmed hug. Gajeel grumbled profanities under his breath as I laughed.

"Nice to meet you, Levy. I'm Elijah Carlton."

"Levy McGarden," I said, formally introducing myself.

"Now," Elijah said, looking at Gajeel as he grew serious, "a Miss Mirajane Strauss called from Fairy Tail yesterday, telling me you had taken the job I posted. Since you're here, I assume that means you found it?"

Gajeel nodded, glancing at me. I pulled the light pen from my back, holding it out to Elijah. "Incredible," he murmured, examining the beautiful tool.

"There's a small problem, though," Gajeel said.

"What's that?" Elijah frowned. "It looks just fine to me."

"That isn't a sword," I told him.

"Not a sword?" He asked, looking at the tool in his hands. "What is it, then?"

"An ancient light pen," Lily said.

"A light pen?" Elijah's frown deepened. "As in, a _magic_ light pen?"

"That's right," Gajeel nodded.

"What type of magic do you use with it?"

"I plan to do some research on that myself," I smiled.

"You still want it?" Gajeel asked.

Elijah chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. "Even if it's not a sword, I still want it. Besides, you kids went all that way to get it for me. Come, let's go inside so I can get your payment."

"How long have you and Gajeel been in Fairy Tail together?" Deidre asked after Gajeel, Lily, and Elijah went back inside.

"He joined up right after the war with Phantom Lord," I answered.

"How long have you been in love with him?" She giggled as I gasped in shock and turned several shades of red.

"I—I don't—I'm not—G-Gajeel isn't—"

Deidre put her hands over her mouth. "You haven't even realized it yet," I heard her whisper to herself. Shaking her head, she put her hands on my shoulders and steered me towards the house. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

I was steered straight into Gajeel as we got inside. "There you are," he grunted. "I was just on my way out to get you. The old man split up the money. Lily has yours."

"R-Right," I nodded, still blushing from Deidre's earlier question.

"Come on, let's get going."

"You're leaving already?" Deidre frowned.

"Don't pout," Gajeel chuckled, patting her on the shoulder. "I'm sure I'll see ya around."

"You three should come back next weekend and eat dinner with us," she grinned. "I'd love to catch up with you, and I think Levy and I would get along great if we had time to talk." She threw her arm over my shoulders.

"I'd love to," I chuckled.

"I would also be very interested in learning more about how you know Gajeel," Lily nodded.

"Fine," Gajeel sighed. "We'll come over Saturday. Tell the old man."

"Yay!" She shouted, repeating her jump-hug from earlier.

"See ya later, Dee," he said, waving as we left after he had pried Deidre off himself again.

"You two seem close," I commented as we walked.

"That kid is a pest," he grumbled.

"Don't be mean," I frowned, "she seems to really like you. And Elijah, too. They're both really nice people."

"How do you know them?" Lily asked.

With a sigh, Gajeel shoved his hands in his pockets. "I met them while I was in Phantom." By his tone, we both knew he wasn't going to tell us anymore, so we didn't press him.

 _She must have been young when he was in Phantom, since that was seven years ago. I wonder what their connection is, since he's so unwilling to talk about it._

I sighed, realizing I knew next to nothing about Gajeel's past. Actually, I didn't know much about him at _all_. He never talked much, and when he did, it was usually just about fighting or something.

Again, I sighed. _Maybe my lack of knowledge about him just proves that he doesn't care that much about me._ Sure we were friends, but probably just barely. _Friends should know_ this _stuff about each other, at least. Right?_


	4. 17 Days

**_~Gajeel~_**

"Are you ready to go?" Lily asked, landing next to me in the guildhall as his wings disappeared.

"Go where?" I mumbled through a mouthful of iron bolts.

"To the Carlton's," Lily sighed. "We agreed to have dinner with Deidre and her father, remember?"

"Ah, hell," I groaned, shoving the bowl of metal away from me, losing my appetite. "Do we really have to go? I just told the kid that so she'd quit buggin' me."

"Why are you so hesitant to spend time with them?" Lily asked, frowning. "They seem like good people, and you obviously have a history with them, so—"

"That's exactly why I don't want to spend any more time with them than I have to," I sighed. "I left everything—and everyone—from my old life behind me when I joined Fairy Tail. Being around them will just dig up bad memories."

"Only if you allow it to," Lily frowned. "I think you owe it to Deidre to at least show up. If things don't go well, then you don't have to go back. It's that simple, right?"

"I guess," I nodded, giving up. I knew he wasn't going to leave me alone until I agreed to go.

"We're supposed to pick Levy up at Fairy Hills in a few minutes, so we'd better get going," he told me.

"Why are we picking her up?" I asked, frowning as I followed him.

Lily sighed impatiently. "Because it's the gentlemanly thing to do. We're all going to the same place, so it only makes sense that we would escort her."

"Sounds like a lot of trouble to me," I snorted.

Lily shook his head, not saying anything as we walked to Fairy Hills. Levy was locking the gate as we approached. She turned and greeted us with a smile when Lily said hello. "Hey guys," she grinned. She was wearing a green sundress that reached the middle of her thighs, and the top tied around her neck. Around the middle was a white bow, matching the silk ribbon in her hair that she used to hold her bangs back, and the white flats on her feet.

"Is something wrong?" Levy asked, frowning as she looked down at herself.

"Hm?" I shook myself, cursing quietly as I scolded myself for acting like an idiot. "Nothing. Let's go."

"Okay," she nodded, frowning down at Lily who I saw shrug. He glanced up at me and chuckled to himself, shaking his head in that way he always did when he knew something I didn't. _Damned cat._

"You look nice," I mumbled as we walked, knowing I should probably say _something_.

Her cheeks turned pink, and she looked up at me as if I had said something startling. "Oh. Th-thank you."

It fell silent again after that, and I wondered why she had gotten so flustered over a little comment. I heard Lily chuckle, so I glared down at him. "What?" I snapped.

He merely shook his head, a knowing smirk never leaving his face. "Nothing."

I grumbled, wondering what the hell was so funny. We walked in silence, and I was actually thankful when we finally reached Deidre's house. I knocked on the door, and Deidre immediately threw it open.

"Welcome back!" She smiled, pulling Levy into a hug. "Come on in, I was just finishing up the salmon." She led us inside, chatting cheerfully with Levy as we went.

"So, Levy," Deidre said as we sat down to eat, "what type of magic do you use?"

"Solid Script," she answered, proudly.

"I don't think I've ever heard of that," Deidre frowned. "Would you mind showing me after dinner?"

"Sure," Levy smiled.

"And what about you, Lily?" Elijah asked. "Do you use the same magic as other Exceed?"

"Mostly," Lily nodded. "I have a larger form I can use for a period of time during battle, and my sword also transforms to match my size."

"Gajeel, your team mates are incredible!" Deidre said, smiling at me.

"Only Lily's my team mate," I told her, quietly.

She frowned, turning her green eyes to Levy. "You aren't part of Gajeel's team?"

Levy shook her head. "I belong to another team—Shadow Gear. I was just helping Gajeel and Lily out with this job because they needed someone who could translate and work with magic runes."

"Is that part of your magic—the translating and runes?" Elijah asked.

She smiled. "No. I just enjoy learning different languages and rune-type magic."

"Wow!" Deidre exclaimed.

"This girl's pretty impressive, Gajeel. Definitely a keeper in my book," Elijah whispered, nudging me in the side with a wink.

I was so shocked I accidentally bent my fork. "What the hell?!" I growled, forgetting to whisper. "Don't go gettin' the wrong impression, old man. There ain't nothin' goin' on between me and the Shrimp."

"She's way too smart for Gajeel, anyways," Deidre snorted, causing Levy to blush before giggling.

As I cursed under my breath, Elijah stood up. "How about you children go to the lounge to get more acquainted? I'll clean up here."

"Would you like some help?" Levy asked.

He smiled. "Thank you for the offer, dear, but I wouldn't feel right putting a guest to work. Dee, take them to the lounge, would you?"

"Could you show me your magic now?" Dee asked, grabbing Levy's hand and leading her towards the lounge. It was supposed to be a bedroom, but Elijah had set it up as a second living room and called it the "lounge". It looked exactly the same as it had ten years ago. Even the furniture was the same.

"What would you like to see?" Levy asked as we sat down.

"Anything," Dee answered.

"What's something you like?"

Dee frowned a little before answering. "I love flowers."

Levy nodded, standing up to face Dee. "Solid Script: Flowers!" The word appeared in the air, green and wrapped in vines, with different colored flowers sticking out of the letters.

"Amazing!" Dee shouted, jumping up and touching the magic word. "And they're real!" She gasped. Levy picked one of the flowers and gave it to her, much to her delight. "Do another one!"

"What word?"

Dee thought a moment, then smiled. "Snow. It never snows here, and I've only ever seen the stuff twice in my entire life."

"I don't think I should do that one in the house," Levy giggled.

"Then we'll go out back!" Dee said, grabbing Levy's hand and running towards the back door.

"Aren't you going with them?" Lily asked when I didn't move.

"No," I sighed. "Let them hang out some. Deidre seems to be enjoying herself, and so does Levy."

"What is your connection to Deidre and Elijah?" Lily looked at me. "You said you knew them while you were in Phantom, but how?"

"It doesn't matter," I said, not wanting to talk about it.

He sighed. "I can't make you tell me, and I don't intend to try."

I watched as he left after the girls, and I let out a loud huff. _I'm not keeping it to myself just because I don't want to share it. I'm keeping it to myself because it brings up bad memories._ Images of a woman with aquamarine hair and green eyes flashed across my mind, and I blinked hard to make them go away. _This is why I didn't want to come back here._

 ** _~Levy~_**

"Solid Script: Snow!" I shouted, casting the spell high in the sky. White snowflakes began falling from the large word, and Deidre spun around, laughing in delight.

"This is the coolest magic ever!" She squealed.

"Thank you," I smiled, happy that she liked it. It wasn't the strongest form of magic out there, but I loved Solid Script. It really showed how amazing the written language could be, and it could transform those words into something tangible. Something beautiful.

"Do you think you could teach it to me?" She suddenly asked.

"Solid Script magic?" I asked, startled.

She nodded. "Nothing advanced. Just some basic words. Like snow," she giggled, kicking some of the white powder.

"Of course," I chuckled. "I'd love to teach you. When would you like to start?"

"How about tomorrow?" Deidre grinned. "I don't do much other than help dad around here, so I'm free whenever you'd like to come over. I know you go on jobs and stuff, so it doesn't have to be a regular thing, just whenever you have spare time."

"Tomorrow would be great," I told her, laughing when she hugged me.

"You two seem to be getting along well," Elijah chuckled.

"Daddy! Levy just agreed to teach me some of her Solid Script magic!" The girl exclaimed, excitedly.

"Did she?" He asked, looking over at me.

I nodded. "If that's alright with you."

He smiled, "of course. Feel free to use our home for teaching. Our doors are always open to any friend of Gajeel's."

"Thank you."

"Besides," he added, "I'm interested to find out what you learn about that old light pen."

"I'll be sure to keep you updated on my research," I told him.

"Shrimp. Lily," Gajeel said, standing in the doorway. "Let's go. It's getting late."

"Will I see you tomorrow?" Deidre asked, hopefully.

I smiled and gave her a nod. "I'll bring lunch."

"Great!" She walked us out after we said our goodbyes to Elijah, waving us off.

"You didn't talk to Dee or Eli much," I commented, looking up at Gajeel.

"Nothin' to say," he shrugged.

I sighed. "I wish you'd open up to me a little."

He frowned. "Why?"

"We're friends, aren't we? Friends usually tell each other things about them."

"This ain't somethin' I like to talk about," he mumbled.

"I'm not talking about _just_ this. I know next to nothing about you, Gajeel. I'd be alright with learning anything."

"Why?" He asked.

I stared down at the sidewalk as we walked. "It would just be nice to know _something_ about you."

"If it doesn't affect our work, then it doesn't matter," he said.

I sighed. _But it_ does _matter. I don't care about work, Gajeel, I care about_ you _._

"See ya around, Shrimp," Gajeel said, and I realized we had reached Fairy Hills.

"Yeah," I nodded, unlocking the gate and going inside. He didn't even turn around to look back at me as he left, and I couldn't help but feel a little dejected.

"I don't know what I was hoping for," I grumbled as I climbed into bed a few moments later. "Gajeel doesn't share my feelings, so I shouldn't expect him to get it." In all honestly, I wasn't sure what my feelings even were. I liked Gajeel—a lot—but there was something more than that.

 _Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. Gajeel doesn't feel the same, so I shouldn't think about it too much. Dwelling on my feelings will just make it harder to forget about them._


	5. 14 Days

**_~Gajeel~_**

"There you are," Lily said as he sat across from me at our usual table in the guildhall. "You left early this morning."

I shrugged, eating one of the bolts out of the bowl Mira had brought me that morning. "I woke up early and figured I might as well come here. I was planning on taking a job, too. Maybe an extended one."

"Is this about Levy?" He asked, frowning.

I popped another bolt into my mouth so I didn't have to respond. Levy had spent the last three days with Deidre, teaching her some basic Solid Script spells. I hadn't seen her at all since we had come back from dinner that night, after she had told me she wanted to get to know me and I had completely shot her down. I didn't know why I had done it, honestly. Something about Levy made me want to tell her anything she wanted to know—no matter how personal it was, but something else was stopping me. I had been alone for so long after Metallicana that I didn't know _how_ to open up to people, I guess. _So it's your own damned fault she's ignoring you._

I shouldn't have even cared that she was ignoring me. But I did. I cared a lot. It bugged the hell out of me that she was spending so much time with Eli and Dee, and that she was completely avoiding me.

"Why don't you just apologize? Lily asked, sighing.

"Apologize for what?"

He gave me a disappointed frown. "For hurting her feelings."

"It's not like I did it on purpose," I snapped, "and it's her own fault for getting so worked up over something stupid like that."

"Good morning, Levy!" Mirajane called from the bar.

I turned, wanting to kick myself when I saw Levy. Standing directly behind me. As soon as my eyes met hers, she looked away and hurried over to the bar.

"Damn," I groaned, knowing she had heard me.

"Now you _really_ need to apologize," Lily said, shaking his head.

Grumbling, I stood up and went to the bar, taking a seat next to Levy. "Hey," I said. She ignored me, sipping on the juice Mira had brought for her. With a loud sigh, I resigned myself to apologizing, knowing it would be the only way to get her to talk to me. "Listen, Shrimp, about what I said—"

"Don't worry about it," she interrupted, setting down her empty cup and getting off the bar stool. "It wasn't my business, so I shouldn't have asked. It's not like we're friends, right? We're just comrades." With that, without even glancing back at me, she left the guildhall.

I stared after her, completely dumbfounded. Her usually bright hazel eyes had seemed so dim as she spoke, and I noticed she was paler than usual, too. _Maybe she's just tired,_ I thought, trying to come up with an explanation for her odd behavior. She was never so cold towards me, so I wasn't really sure how to react.

A long whistle brought me out of my daze, and I looked over to find Cana leaning against the bar next to me, shaking her head. "You've gone and done it now, dimwit."

"And what's that?" I growled.

"If you don't know, I ain't tellin' ya."

"You—"

"You'd better go if you're going to catch up to her," Cana said, nodding towards the door.

Grumbling about her being too damned vague, I went after Levy. _Why the hell am I even going after her? It shouldn't matter to me if she's angry or not. It'd probably be better if she was, then she'd stay away from me._ I shook my head, shaking those kinds of thoughts from my mind.

"Hey, Shrimp!" I called, spotting her walking along the path to the train station. She didn't stop or even acknowledge that I had called to her, so I sprinted to catch up to her. When I finally did, I put my hand on her shoulder, forcing her to stop. "Shrimp," I said.

Finally, she looked at me, her tired eyes meeting my crimson ones. "What?"

"What were you doing in the guildhall earlier? I figured you'd be at Dee's today."

At this, she looked down. "I was going to see if you and Pantherlily wanted to go with me, but I see now I was wrong in assuming you'd want to."

"What I said back there—"

She shook her head. "It was the truth. It was stupid of me to get upset over something like that. If you see me as merely a comrade, then that's fine. I guess I was just hoping for too much after those few jobs we went on together." A few weeks before, we had gone on a job alone together because Lily had been really sick. Being alone with Levy had actually been really fun. After that, we went on a couple more jobs like that, but those stopped as soon as Lily had recovered.

It had been me who had avoided being alone with her since then. In all honesty, I was just being a coward. Spending all that time with her, something strange started to happen, and I found myself thinking about her constantly. I was restless when she wasn't around, and I wanted to see her all the time. Knowing that feelings like those would lead to no good, I distanced myself immediately. _I really am an idiot, aren't I?_

"Levy—"

"I'm going to miss my train if I don't hurry," she said, turning away from me and hurrying down the street. I followed her, silently, wondering what I could say. When she reached the train station, I grabbed her hand before she could get on the train. "What is it?" She asked.

"Go on a job with me," I blurted out.

She looked startled, her hazel eyes widening for a moment. Recovering, she sighed. "I promised Deidre I would meet her for lunch."

"Levy," I pleaded. I didn't know of anything else to do. For some reason, I couldn't stand the thought of her being mad at me. "Just one job."

"You don't have to push yourself Gajeel," she said, offering me a tired smile, "it's fine. I'm sorry for asking about your past. If you don't want to tell me, I understand. So you don't have to force yourself to be around me because you feel like you've done something wrong. You haven't, so don't worry about it." She pulled her hand from mine and hopped onto the train. The doors shut behind her before I could follow, and I was left there staring after her, cursing quietly to myself.

"We should go after her," Lily said, startling me. He was standing beside me, waiting expectantly. I nodded, allowing him to grab the back of my shirt as he took off into the air.

"Maybe this is a bad idea," I sighed, after several long minutes of silence. We were halfway to Dee and Eli's house, and I was having second thoughts.

"Why would it be a bad idea?"

"She seemed really upset with me. I even tried to get her to go on a job with me and she said no. She thinks I'm just trying to make up for not telling her about myself, so she told me not to worry about it. I seriously don't understand that Shrimp sometimes."

"That's exactly why you _need_ to talk to her," Lily said. "If she's thinking that way, then you need to convince her otherwise. If you care for Levy, stop pushing her away."

I didn't reply, thinking about what he had said. _Do I care for Levy?_ Of course I did. She was my comrade, and probably one of the closest things to a friend besides Lily that I'd ever had. Despite everything, she was always so kind to me, accepting all of my faults without question, and encouraging me to do better. _Maybe I care for her more than I thought._ Every time I thought about her, I got a strange feeling in my chest, and my nerves got all jittery—as if I were about to go into battle.

Lily landed in front of Dee and Eli's house, and I could tell that Levy hadn't arrived yet. "Here," Lily said, handing me a piece of paper.

"It's a job request," I frowned, reading through it. It had been the same one I had thought about going on, since it was a three-day trip.

"I'll see you two in a few days," he told me, flying off before I could respond.

"That damned cat tricked me!" I fumed, staring after him.

"Gajeel?" At the sound of Levy's voice, I turned around. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Oh, uh," I scratched my head, trying to come up with an excuse. "Well, you invited me to come along, didn't ya?"

She blinked in surprise. "I did, but I didn't think—"

"Take a break from teaching Dee and let's go on a job," I said, holding out the job request. "I was being serious before."

She took it, frowning as she read its description. "This will take us a few days."

I shrugged. "So?"

She looked at me, a strange expression on her face. "You don't mind being alone with me for that long?"

"You make it sound like you're hard to be around," I grumbled, patting her on the top of the head. Before she could say any more, I grabbed her hand and headed back towards the train station.

"Aren't we going to get Lily?" She asked.

"He's busy," I said.

"What about supplies—"

"I'll get you anything you need," I told her, meeting her eyes briefly before staring straight ahead. _What the hell am I saying? I don't have any supplies either, so—_

"Thank you, Gajeel," Levy said, quietly.

I looked down at her, surprised. "What are you thankin' me for?"

"For doing all of this just to fix things, even though they didn't really need fixed. I can understand if you don't want to talk about—"

"No more of that," I said, shaking my head. "I don't talk about my past because I'm not used to caring about anyone enough to tell them. I guess I just don't know how." _Alright, Gajeel, this is getting too damned mushy._ Needing a subject change, I pointed to a merchant selling sandwiches. "I'm going to get us some lunch for the train ride. I'll meet you on board."

 ** _~Levy~_**

I stood on the train's boarding platform, staring after Gajeel as he practically ran away from me. I wasn't really sure what to make of the events from the last few minutes. Gajeel had practically dragged me along on a job, then had—in typical Gajeel fashion—apologized for not sharing more about himself to me. _And he hinted at caring about me, though he didn't say it outright._ That thought sent a blush to my face, one I immediately scolded myself for.

 _Don't get so excited over something like that! It's Gajeel, so he's just saying you're a friend, Levy._ Just a friend. I sighed, getting onto the train and finding a seat. Although I knew it was foolish, I wished I could be more than just a friend.

"Here," Gajeel said, handing me a sandwich as he sat down beside me. I noticed he had also purchased a backpack and other supplies for the trip.

"Thanks," I told him, accepting the sandwich.

"Yeah," he nodded. He hadn't begun eating his own sandwich by the time the train started moving, so he handed it to me with a groan. "Here," he mumbled.

"Want me to save it for you?" I asked, smiling in pity at him. He shook his head, leaning against the seat as his face turned slightly green. Shrugging, I ate it, and then pulled out the job request again. "It says here that we're supposed to help a small town get rid of a troublesome dark wizard. Apparently several people have gone missing, and they believe it is him who is taking them. They want us to find the missing people and take down the wizard. Sounds pretty straight-forward," I said, looking over at Gajeel. He was still leaning against the seat, and had taken to groaning quietly.

"We could have walked, you know," I sighed, shaking my head at him.

"No," he mumbled, shaking his head. "Too long."

"Maybe so, but the train ride is six hours. Do you think you'll make it that long?" Judging by the looks of him, I didn't think so.

He offered me a short nod, mumbling something about not letting a train defeat him. I giggled, deciding to drop the conversation so he could rest as well as he could for the rest of the ride. I leaned my head against the window, staring at the landscape as we traveled through it.

I must have dozed off at some point, because the next time I opened my eyes, the sun had already begun to sink in the sky. _We must be close now,_ I thought, attempting to sit up. When I did, I felt something heavy laying against me. Gajeel had fallen asleep as well, it seemed, because he was leaning against me, his head resting on the top of mine as he snored quietly.

 _I should let him sleep._ Transportation was always difficult for him, and sleep seemed to help, so I didn't want to disturb him. Instead, I shifted slightly so I wasn't as squished against the window, and listened to Gajeel's snoring as I looked out the window.

After a short time, the train entered a town about the size of Magnolia and stopped at the station. I shook Gajeel awake, telling him we had finally reached our stop. He stretched after we had gotten off the train and yawned loudly.

"I told you it wouldn't be that bad," I grinned.

"Tch," he frowned, crossing his arms. He looked around a moment before grabbing my hand and pulling me through the crowd.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"I'm starving after riding that damned train," he growled, "so let's get some dinner. Then we can find an inn and get some sleep before meeting up with the mayor in the morning."

"Shouldn't we see the mayor first?"

"He can wait. Food comes first."

I rolled my eyes, chuckling as he continued pulling me along beside him. "Do you even know where any restaurants are?"

"I can smell one," he nodded. "Whatever they're cooking, it smells great, so we'll go there."

"That nose of yours is better than Lily's sometimes," I teased.

"Don't let him hear you say that," Gajeel chuckled, offering me one of his rare smiles.

I felt the blush return to my face and quickly averted my gaze so he wouldn't noticed my stained cheeks. I had only ever seen him smile genuinely a few times, and every time it was the same. My face turned scarlet and my heart hammered obnoxiously loud in my chest. _I wish he would smile like that more often,_ I thought. _He looks so handsome like that._ Although, I couldn't deny that I thought he looked handsome _regardless_ of the expression he was making, but his smile was definitely my favorite.

"What's wrong with you all of a sudden?" He asked, the smile turning to a frown.

"Nothing," I said, smiling up at him, "just hungry."

"Gihi." He pulled me into a small little pub, grinning, "then let's get some food!"


	6. 13 Days

"Shrimp! Ready to go?" Gajeel asked, pounding loudly on door of my room. We had—luckily—been able to find a small inn with two rooms available for the night after we had eaten at the pub. I knew that if we'd been forced to share a room that I wouldn't have been able to sleep a wink. Gajeel wasn't modest, and he only slept in his boxers. Both facts making it very difficult to sleep if we're in the same room.

"Ready!" I called, slipping on a pair of black hiking boots over my green leggings. I wore a yellow tank-dress over them, and a matching ribbon to keep my bangs out of my face. Grabbing my red travel bag, I headed out the door.

We returned our keys before heading in the direction of our client's home. The mayor lived in a grand house, the outside painted a perfect white. It was pretty easy to find, being the largest house in the city.

I knocked on the door, smiling when a tall man in a black suit opened the door. "Hello. I'm Levy McGarden, and this is Gajeel Redfox. We're wizards from Fairy Tail, responding to the mayor's request of eliminating some dark guild wizard."

"Ah, yes," the man nodded, opening the door and ushering us inside. "Please, follow me. Mayor Don will meet us in the study."

I gazed in awe at the beautiful home as we walked up a flight of stairs and down several hallways. The inside was decorated with grand sculptures and beautiful paintings. Tapestries hung from the walls, and rugs from other countries lined the floors.

"This place is incredible," I whispered to Gajeel, who was looking around as well.

He turned to me with a frown. "It's creepy as hell, is what it is. Something about this place feels off."

"How so?" I asked.

Before he could answer, we stopped in front of a set of large wooden double-doors. The man leading us knocked on the doors, opening them when a voice called from the inside for us to enter.

"Wizards from Fairy Tail are here, sir, responding to your request."

"Excellent, William, thank you. Bring some tea for our guests," Mayor Don said. He was sitting in a chair behind a large desk, the back to us so we couldn't see his face.

"Very well, sir." William gave the mayor a quick bow before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Welcome. Please, have a seat." Mayor turned the chair as he spoke, and I had to suppress a gasp of shock. The mayor was no taller than Master Makarov, and was probably just as old. His white hair was pulled into a tight ponytail at the nape of his neck, and he had on an entirely white suit. He looked almost like a ghost with all the white, and I had to scold myself for thinking so rudely about a man who was going to hire us. I elbowed Gajeel in the side when I heard him snicker, and knew he'd had the same ghost thought I'd had.

The two of us took a seat on the white sofa, and I offered the mayor a smile. "Hello, Mayor Don. My name is Levy McGarden. This is Gajeel Redfox. We came from Fairy Tail in response to your request. If you could, would you tell us more about this dark wizard, and about all of the disappearances?"

He folded his hands on top of the desk, letting out a long sigh. "It all began just a couple of weeks ago. A wizard in a cloak appeared, using some sort of strange magic to destroy a few homes on the edge of the town, and then disappeared with a young woman who lived in one of them. Since then, he has returned every few days, using the same sort of strange magic and taking another citizen. So far, four have been taken.

"I'm not sure why he is taking them, or what he is using them for, but he must be stopped. The citizens live in fear that they will be next, and many have left the city, refusing to come back until the wizard has been captured."

"Can you tell us what type of magic he was using?" I asked. "Did you see what it looked like?"

"Like I said, it was very strange," he told me, shaking his head, "but that's all the more information I can offer you. At first glance, I thought perhaps it was fire magic, because that was how he destroyed the homes during his first visit. However, the second time he appeared, dangerously strong winds were used to destroy more homes. Since then, he has used water and even the very earth itself to swallow up an entire house."

I frowned, pondering what type of magic would allow a wizard to control all those things. _It could be maker magic, though he would have had to have mastered several different types to achieve enough control over them to destroy homes._

"Did you ever see his face?" Gajeel asked.

Again, Mayor Don shook his head. "He always wears a cloak when he comes."

"Hmm," Gajeel frowned, looking deep in thought.

"What?" I asked.

"Well, it could be more than one wizard," he said. "That would explain the different types of magic."

"It could," I nodded, considering it. If they had never seen his face, it could be very likely that it was more than one wizard attacking. To Mayor Don, I asked, "do you know what guild he belongs to? Or perhaps what his guildmark looks like?"

"I'm sorry," he told us. "I'm afraid that is all I know about him. I'm not entirely sure he belongs to a guild, to be honest with you. Most wizards that powerful usually belong to one, so I just assumed he did as well. If it were several different people, it could be the work of an entire dark guild, I suppose. But if it's just one man, perhaps he doesn't belong to one."

"Sir," William knocked on the door before coming inside with a tray of tea which he sat on a coffee table in front of us. "Please enjoy your tea."

"Thanks," I smiled.

Mayor Don waited until he had gone before continuing, "I'm sorry I can't help you by offering any more information. I do know that he hasn't shown up in nearly three days, so he'll be coming soon. I suspect tonight, though I can't be sure. Please, you're both welcome to stay here until you capture him, since it may take a couple of days. I would be happy to have you."

"Thank you for the generosity," I smiled, bowing my head. "That would be very appreciated, Mayor Don."

"It's settled, then," he nodded. "I'll have William escort you to the guest room. I suspect you'd like the rest of the evening to come up with a plan, so feel free to make yourselves at home while you do. If you need anything, William will be available." He rang a little bell, and William immediately came into the room.

"Yes, sir?" He asked.

"Escort Miss McGarden and her companion to the guest room, please," Mayor Don said. "They will be our house guests while they are completing my request."

"As you wish," William nodded. "Please, follow me."

"Thank you again," I said, bowing to Mayor Don before following William up another flight of stairs. He led us to a room at the very end of the floor's main hallway, and opened the door.

"Please call on me if you require anything," he told us before disappearing down the stairs.

"Wait, we can't…share…a room…" I trailed off, knowing he was already too far away to hear me.

"I don't know," I heard Gajeel chuckle from inside the room. When I went in after him, I found him lying on the bed, grinning. "I can't say I'd be upset if that dark guild guy didn't show up tonight. This bed feels like I'm lying on a pile of cotton."

"We're supposed to be coming up with a plan to capture him," I frowned, trying not to take notice that the room only contained one bed—and that we were supposed to share it.

"What's there to plan?" He asked, sitting up so he could frown at me. "When he shows up, I'll kick his ass. Then we'll get him to take us to the citizens he kidnapped, and possibly the dark guild he's a member of. It's a pretty simple job if you ask me."

"Gajeel, he is powerful enough to destroy entire houses. We shouldn't be taking him lightly."

"That's nothin'," he scoffed. "I've taken down nearly an entire city before—and that was without trying. I think I can handle some dark guild weakling alone."

I sighed. "If this job is so easy, why did you want me to come along? You could have handled it yourself, right?"

To that, he frowned again. Before he could answer, I shook my head. "Forget it. I'm just trying to figure this wizard out, and it's frustrating me. Don't bother with what I said."

"Levy—"

"I'm going to go look around the city for a while," I told him, heading out the door. "I saw a bookstore on our way here that I'd like to check out."

"I'll come with—"

"I can handle walking to the bookstore alone." I rushed down the stairs and out the front door without waiting for a response. I wasn't sure why I was so annoyed.

"Quit lying to yourself, Levy," I sighed, adjusting my bag as I walked, "you're annoyed because Gajeel said he didn't need you." He had practically forced me to go on the job with him, and then had told me he could handle it alone— _without_ me. "If he didn't need me, why did he force me to come in the first place?" Foolishly, I had gotten my hopes up, thinking there had been some special reason he'd brought me along. It seemed the reality was that he really _had_ only brought me along to make up for hurting my feelings. _While I appreciate the effort he's making, I don't want him to do things like this just out of guilt. I want him to_ want _me to come along on jobs with him. And I want him to_ want _to spend time with me._

Again, I sighed. "Yeah right, Levy. Keep dreaming."

 ** _~Gajeel~_**

"What the hell was her problem?" I growled, staring at the doorway where Levy had disappeared just a few moments before. She'd acted like I'd done something wrong, but I couldn't figure out what it could have been.

"Is she really that mad that we have to share a room?" I wondered, figuring that was the only thing it could be. _I'll tell her I can ask for a different one if it bothers her that bad,_ I thought to myself, deciding to go after her.

"Shrimp, wait up," I called, spotting her blue hair among the evening shopping crowd.

"Gajeel?" She asked, looking surprised to see me. "Why are you here?" For some damned reason, that question, added to her surprised look, really annoyed me.

"Where the hell else would I be?" I snapped. "You're my partner on this job, ain't ya? And there's some crazy dark guild wizard out there kidnapping people, so I'm not about to leave you alone." I folded my arms over my chest, frowning down at her.

She returned my frown, turning away from me and marching up the street. "I can take care of myself. I don't need a protector, Gajeel."

 _What the hell did I do now?_ "I'm sure you can, but I ain't takin' the chance, Shrimp. Like you said, he's probably pretty powerful."

"And like _you_ said, I can handle him alone," she retorted.

"Alright," I growled, grabbing her arm and spinning her around. "What the hell's your problem? Ever since we were shown to that guest room you've been all irritated. If it bothers you that much that we've got to share a room, I'll have the old man give me a new one, alright? So don't get so mad about—"

"I'm not mad about the room," she snapped, attempting to shake me off but having no chance against my grip. "I'm mad because you brought me all the way out here, and then told me you didn't need me. And then you didn't even get why saying something like that might make me angry!

"I'm not angry about you not wanting to share your past with me. I never was, honestly. I had just hoped we'd become close enough that you'd feel comfortable opening up a bit, but I was wrong. That's not something you need to feel guilty about, so you don't have to go out of your way to try to make up for something that was my fault to begin with. If you think we're just comrades, then that's fine with me. I can live with that. What I can't live with is you trying so hard to make things right between us when there was nothing wrong. Especially when you obviously don't need or want me here."

"Who the hell said I didn't want you here?" I snapped, cutting in before she could continue.

"You did," she frowned. "You don't want my help on this assignment, so I don't know why you brought me to begin with—" she paused, understanding suddenly flashing in her large hazel eyes. "Lily made you bring me, didn't he?" She asked.

I felt myself stiffen at the question. _How the hell am I supposed to answer that? If I say yes, it'll just convince her that she's right. And if I lie to her, she's going to get even more pissed off. Damn it! Why the hell is this woman so complicated?!_

Resigning myself, I sighed. "He did, but that doesn't mean I didn't want you to come. I asked you to go on the job with me in Magnolia because I meant it, and then Lily abandoned me at Dee's to make sure I talked you into going with me. The job was my idea though, so he didn't _really_ make me."

I stiffened again when she suddenly burst into laughter. I released her, completely at a loss. "What's so damn funny?"

She shook her head, the laughter fading. "Gajeel Redfox, taking orders from a cat," she giggled, "that's definitely a new one."

"Ah, shut it," I growled.

She sighed, her gaze falling to the sidewalk below her feet. "I'm sorry, Gajeel. I just don't want you to feel like you have to make up for something, alright? If you don't think you need me here, then I can go home—"

"If you keep runnin' off the mouth, that bookstore of yours is going to close before you get there," I growled, grabbing her hand and dragging her down the street. She had it stuck in her head that I was doing this out of guilt, but I really wasn't. Although I couldn't explain it, I _wanted_ her there with me. And the thought of her thinking I didn't caused a weird feeling to swirl around in my gut.

 _Damn. What the hell?_

"Gajeel?" I turned to Levy when she said my name, and the air all left my lungs at the smile on her face. "Thanks."

I couldn't respond, unable to form any coherent words. Instead, I faced forward and continued walking, very aware all of a sudden of her hand in mine, and of the hammering in my chest as my heart threatened to jump clear out of it.

A loud boom caused both of us to stop walking and spin around, looking for the source of the explosion. "There!" Levy shouted, pointing to a cloud of smoke that was rising above the other buildings, coming from the southern-most area of the city.

"Let's go," I said. She nodded, taking off after me towards the smoke.

"You think it's him?" She asked as we ran.

"Probably." I hoped so. I was suddenly full of energy, and really needed somewhere to release it. Preferably some _one_.

We finally came to the source of all the destruction, and shoved our way through the fleeing crowd of citizens as we rushed to find the cloaked dark wizard. He had completely taken out an entire building already, and was probably hidden somewhere in the smoke.

"Iron Dragon's Roar!" I shouted, blowing away the annoying cloud, hoping to expose him or flush him out of his hiding spot. "Quit hidin', ya dark guild bastard!" I shouted, still unable to spot him.

"Over there!" Levy said, pointing to the path leading away from the city. The cloaked wizard was carrying a young woman over his shoulder, running down the path. "We need to cut him off before he reaches the mountains." About three miles down the path, it disappeared into the mountains. If he made it there, we'd definitely lose him.

"Can you put up a wall?" I asked.

"Yeah." She lifted her hand, a white light coming from the end of her two pointed fingers. "Solid Script: Wall!" The word formed in front of the cloaked wizard, blocking his path.

She gasped when he pulled what looked like a dagger from his cloak and sliced through her magic, not slowing down as he continued fleeing with the woman.

"Solid Script: Chains!" She shouted, throwing the word at him. The chains wrapped around him, causing him to drop the woman to the ground as he stumbled forward. Once again, though, he cut through them with his dagger.

"Iron Dragon's Club!" My arm turned into an iron rod, extending ahead of us and hitting him before he could grab the woman again. He kept running, abandoning the woman, as we almost reached him. Levy went to the woman while I continued after him, growling when I realized we had almost reached the end of the path.

"Iron Dragon's Roar!" He dodged my attack, slipping into the mountains before I could reach him.

"Damn it!" I growled, his scent lost in all of the smells coming from the mountains. Knowing it wouldn't help just standing there, I returned to Levy.

"No luck?" She asked, attempting to lift the unconscious woman off the ground.

"No," I sighed, throwing the woman over my shoulder and heading back towards the city.

"Damn," she said.

"Yeah."

"We'll just have to try again. Whoever he is, he didn't get what he came here for, so he'll be back soon."

"And we'll be ready for him," I grinned.

She nodded. "For now, let's get her to the hospital, and then return to Mayor Don's house to rest and come up with a plan. We tried it your way, so tomorrow we're going to try it my way."

"Fine," I agreed. _Let's hope whatever we come up with works and we can actually catch him._


	7. 12 Days

**_~Levy~_**

"Mm," I murmured, feeling something incredibly warm beside me. Still half asleep, I snuggled closer to the warmth, wrapping my hands around it. _It smells good,_ I thought, inhaling the wonderful scent. It was like metal and soap, and something that I couldn't quite name. There was also something soft near my head, and kept tickling my neck.

 _The bed is so comfortable,_ I thought to myself, still clinging to the warmth beside me. Suddenly, my eyes snapped open. _I was sleeping on the sofa._

My eyes fell on a bare, muscular chest, one that my arm was draped comfortably over. Moving my eyes slowly upward, they finally met two crimson ones, staring silently down at me.

"G-Gajeel!" I shrieked, pulling my arm back and rolling away from him—and straight into the floor. I hit the carpet in a tangle of blankets, cursing as I tried to free myself.

Laughing, Gajeel grabbed the blanket and gave it a hard tug, effectively rolling me out onto the floor and freeing me. "What the hell are you doin', Shrimp?" He asked.

I sat up, my face scorching as I avoided making eye contact with him. "I fell asleep on the sofa, so can you blame me for be a bit surprised when I woke up in the bed?" I snapped.

"Maybe," he shrugged, "but not enough to throw yourself in the floor like that." He snorted, a smirk pulling at the side of his mouth.

Grumbling, I got to my feet and adjusted the nightgown I had purchased in town when we had first arrived—having gone on the mission with no supplies, I'd had to buy some clothes.

"You looked uncomfortable last night on that stupid thing, so I moved you to the bed. You didn't seem to mind while you were asleep," he muttered, angrily, "considering you slept right up against me all night."

To that, I felt the blush on my face deepen. "Y-You could have at least put a shirt on or something."

He gave me a confused frown. "Why would I do that?"

I sighed in exasperation. "Never mind, let's just go get breakfast. I'd like to interview a few citizens this afternoon, so we should get going."

He nodded, getting out of bed and putting on his clothes. When he was finished, he turned and looked at me expectantly. "Aren't you going to change?" He asked.

"Not with you here!" I shoved him out of the room, locking the door. I grumbled angrily to myself as I got dressed, still embarrassed that I had practically been laying on top of Gajeel when I woke up. _And he was practically naked!_

"He probably thinks I'm a giant dork," I groaned, brushing out my hair and putting a red ribbon in it.

"Ready?" Gajeel asked once I finally joined him in the hallway.

"Yeah," I nodded.

Gajeel—and that extraordinary nose of his—found us somewhere to eat breakfast in no time, and we quickly ordered. As we ate, I thought about that strange dagger-like object the cloaked man had had the night before. He had been able to cut through my magic as if it weren't even there, so perhaps it was some sort of magic cancelling device. However, I had never seen or heard of anything like that before. There were handcuffs and ropes which could be used to restrain wizards and seal off their magic, but not weapons that could be used as a counter-attack to magic. _If he can cancel our magic while using the different types that he can, we're in trouble._

"Did you see that old man this morning?" Gajeel asked, breaking the silence after we had paid for our food and made our way around the city to look for someone we could ask about the cloaked man.

"Now that you mention it, I didn't," I said, shaking my head. "He's the mayor, though, so he was probably busy."

He grunted, frowning about something.

"Why were you wondering?" I asked.

"I still get a weird feeling from him," he said. "Something's just not right with him. I don't think he told us everything he knew."

"We'll ask him about it this evening, then," I said, knowing better than to doubt his judgement in character. When Gajeel got a bad feeling about someone, he was usually right.

Again, he grunted in response and nodded. "So, who did you want to talk to?"

"The families of the people taken," I answered. "Maybe they can tell us more about the cloaked man." We started with the woman we had saved from him the night before. She had been released from the hospital with only a few injuries, and hugged us both in thanks when she greeted us at her front door.

"I can't tell you how thankful I am to you two," she cried, wiping tears from her eyes. "I was so scared when he came that I was going to die. When I woke up in the hospital, and they told me I had been rescued by two wizards from Fairy Tail, I was so happy."

"You're very welcome," I smiled. "I'm Levy, and this is Gajeel. We're both very glad that you're alright."

"While I'm so happy I got the chance to meet and thank you two, I am confused why you came to me."

"We wanted to ask you a few questions about last night, if that's alright," I told her.

She looked hesitant, but nodded and led us inside. "Would you like some tea?" She asked as we sat on her sofa.

"No, thanks," I said. "We won't be very long."

"Alright," she nodded. "What did you want to ask me?"

"Did you happen to get a look at the man's face? Or any other part of him that could help us identify him? Clothes perhaps, or a guild mark?"

"No," she sighed, shaking her head, "I'm sorry. It was dark when he broke into my shop, and the cloak hid his features even more. By the time we got into the light where I might have seen him, he had knocked me out already. I didn't wake back up until I was in the hospital."

"What kind of magic did he use when he broke into your shop?"

She frowned, obviously trying to remember. "I don't know. It was very strange, almost like he could make things appear out of thin air. He used fire to burn down my door, and then created something to knock me out. It was like a boulder when it crashed into me, but then again it wasn't."

"What do you mean?" I asked, intrigued.

"It was almost like…" she paused, considering the right words. "It was almost like words, but in the shape of a boulder."

Gajeel and I exchanged a look, both of us having the same thought. "Like this?" I asked, lifting my hand and writing "rock" in the hair, creating a small rock that fell into my palm.

The girl gasped, staring down at the small word. "That's it! That's like what he did, except it was bigger. I think the fire he used to knock down my door was similar, too."

"So, someone is using Solid Script magic to kidnap people," Gajeel muttered after we left the girl's home.

"It seems that way," I nodded, deep in thought. I had never seen another person use my type of word magic before. Solid Script was a difficult magic to master, considering every word could be used in so many different ways. It took a long time to work out how and when to use certain words, and each user had their own style.

"That explains what the old man thought was different types of magic," Gajeel said. "He was just using solid script to make the water and stuff, so it looked like he had multiple types of magic."

"We should continue visiting the families of the past victims," I said, wanting to make sure it was a solid script user doing the kidnappings. _If it is, I'm even more eager to catch them._ Even if they were using it for the wrong reasons, I would be lying if I said I didn't want to meet another solid script user.

 ** _~Gajeel~_**

We spent the rest of day interviewing the rest of the victims' families, getting the same answers from them as we had the first girl. They had been attacked by a solid script user.

"Everything alright, Shrimp?" I asked, looking down at her as we walked back to the old man's house. She had been quiet since our last interview, and looked deep in thought.

"What?" She looked up at me, obviously not hearing what I had said.

"I asked if everything was alright."

"Oh. Yeah, no, I'm fine," she said, returning to her deep-in-thought look as she fixed her eyes ahead of her. "Just thinking."

"I can see that," I sighed, patting her on the top of the head. "What are ya thinking about?"

"Well, all of the people kidnapped were young women. I can't figure out what a solid script user would want with them."

"Who knows," I shrugged, "maybe the magic has nothing to do with the kidnappings."

"That's true, I guess," she sighed. "I'm probably just thinking too much into things, since I'm a solid script wizard too."

"Maybe, but you can't get distracted on me yet, Shrimp," I told her, causing her to look up at me in confusion. "We still have one more interview to do, remember?"

She nodded. "Mayor Don."

Once we returned to the old man's house, we had William take us to him. He led us back to the old man's office.

"Mayor Don, sir," William said, knocking on the door, "Miss Levy and Mister Gajeel would like a word with you."

"Send them in," came the old man's voice from inside.

We sat on the sofa once inside, and the three of us were silent for a long time. "So," Mayor Don said, finally breaking the silence, "what can I do for you two? Have you come up with a new plan for capturing the cloaked dark wizard?"

"Perhaps," Levy nodded, "but we were hoping to ask you a few questions, first."

"I'm afraid I've told you all I know," he said. I could tell his smile was fake, and knew immediately that I had been right; he was definitely hiding something.

"We know you didn't tell us everything, old man," I growled. "And we're here to tell you that we're leavin' unless you come clean. And if you lie again, we're outta here."

"I really don't know—"

"Come on, Shrimp," I said, standing and heading for the door, Levy trailing behind me.

"Wait!" He gasped, leaving his desk and running after us.

"I already told ya," I snapped, opening the door to leave, "we ain't helping unless you tell us the truth."

"Please, you can't leave," he begged.

"Watch us," I said, continuing out the door. We were almost to the stairs before he shot in front of us, holding out his arms in a sad attempt at making a barrier.

"He—He forced me to do it!" He shouted as I shoved passed him.

I turned, frowning down at him. "What?"

"The man in the cloak," he sighed, "he threatened me, telling me to place a job request in Fairy Tail to lead you here. When I refused, he began kidnapping girls. He told me he wouldn't stop until I had placed the request and you had come."

"Me?" I asked, shocked. "Why me?"

"That I truly do not know," he said, shaking his head. "He gave me your description, and told me to turn away any other wizards but you. That was all he said, honestly."

"Do you know what he looks like, or what his name is?" Levy asked.

"I do not," he said, his eyes filled with guilt. "But please, you must stop him. I don't know if he's hurting the girls he takes, but I do know that it's my fault he's taking them. I also don't know why he wants you, but it can't be for anything good if he's willing to go to such great lengths. Please be careful."

"Yeah," I nodded.

"We'll get everyone back, safe and sound," Levy smiled, "we promise."

"Thank you," the mayor told her, tears filling his grey eyes.

"We need to finish preparing for tonight," Levy said, excusing us both.

"Yes, of course. If there is anything you need, please ask." He left us, returning to his office as we went to our guest room on the third floor.

"Damn," I growled, pacing the floor. "What the hell could this bastard want with me?"

"I don't know," Levy frowned. Her deep thinking face returned as she sorted through the possibilities. "Do you know any solid script users besides me?"

"No." _I used to, but this can't be them. It'd be impossible._ Once again, images of the past flashed across my memory, and I had to shake myself. _This has nothing to do with that._

"Was his scent familiar to you?"

At that question, I frowned. "Now that I think about it, I can't remember what he smelled like. Almost as if he didn't have a scent, or at least not a strong one." I made a note to pay attention to that this time, perhaps it would help me figure out who was after me.

"The question is, what do they want with you," Levy pondered. "Do they want to kill you? Or perhaps they want to kidnap you too? Maybe they're just looking for a fight, like a rematch or something?"

"I don't know," I said.

"Until we figure out who they are, I guess we won't be able to figure out what their intentions are," she nodded. As she spoke, a loud crashing sound filled the room, and the outside wall blew apart.

"Levy!" I shouted, pulling her against me to shield her from most of the rubble that flew when the wall was destroyed.

"Solid Script: Wind!" Levy threw the spell at the rubble, blowing away dust and debris so we could see clearly.

The cloaked man flew into the room through the missing wall, landing only a few feet away from Levy and me. "Gajeel Redfox. It is finally time," the voice said. It sounded so familiar, but I couldn't figure out where I'd heard it.

"Who the hell are you?" I growled.

"No one you know," he said, lifting his hands as he came closer, "but I know you. My master sent me to capture you for him."

"Why?"

"That is of no concern to you right now. You are of use to my master, so come with me."

"To hell I would ever go with you," I snarled, transforming my arm into my Iron Dragon's Sword. "But you can surrender now and tell me who your master is. Although, I'm kinda hoping you don't, so I get to beat the shit outta ya."

"Such large talk for such a weak man," he taunted. "Solid Script: Tidal Wave!" The water appeared out of nowhere, moving too fast for either of us to dodge. It washed us completely out of the room and sent us tumbling out of the broken wall.

"Solid Script: Cotton!" Levy gasped as we fell, the word appearing just as we hit the ground to cushion our fall. "It's a good thing you made that cotton comment about the bed yesterday," she chuckled as I helped her to her feet.

"Solid Script: Acid!" The cloaked man threw the words from above, sending both of us rolling out of the way as it landed where we had been standing moments before. The word was green, and continued to ooze even after it hit the ground. Everywhere it touched seemed to melt away, so Levy and I quickly put distance between us and it.

"We shouldn't fight him in the city," Levy said, leading me along the path towards the mountains. "We can't risk anyone getting hurt."

"Solid Script: Spikes! Solid Script: Tornado!" The tornado picked up the word, whose letters were ominously pointed, and began spinning it, turning it into a deadly weapon.

"He's such a fast caster," Levy gasped.

"Iron Dragon's Roar!" I released the breath attack, dissolving his magic. "Maybe, but you're faster," I told her.

"Make this easier on yourself, Gajeel," the cloaked man sighed. "If you come willingly, I won't have to hurt you or your comrade."

I glanced at Levy, a growl tearing itself from my throat. "You aren't going to lay a finger on Levy."

"Levy?" He turned to her, chuckling. "What a pretty name for such a cute girl. No wonder Gajeel likes you. And you're a solid script wizard on top of it all, so that's probably quite nostalgic for him."

"Bastard!" I snarled, attacking him with my sword arm. _How the hell does he know about that?!_

"Nostalgic?" Levy asked.

"Oh, so he hasn't told you? Gajeel, how cruel. Leading the poor girl on, but not telling her what kind of monster you really are."

"Shut up! Iron Dragon's Roar!" He easily avoided my attack, which sloppy from my anger.

"Gajeel!" I looked at Levy when she called out to me, and met her determined gaze. "Keep your focus; don't let him get to you! Just ignore what he says and let's defeat him!"

I grinned, giving her a nod. "Right."

"Solid Script—"

"Iron Dragon's—"

"—Fire!" "—Roar!" The fire was caught in my breath attack, heating the iron shards until they were red hot and sending them flying at the cloaked man. It was too fast for him to dodge, and he was thrown back, rolling across the ground and landing in a pile of dust and debris.

"Solid Script: Chains!" Levy took the opportunity to restrain him, making sure to immobilize his arms so he couldn't cut himself free with that magic cancelling dagger.

"Now, let's take a look at this bastard's face," I growled, bending down and grabbing his hood. As I pulled it, the man disappeared into a puff of smoke, leaving behind only the smell of ink and paper. "What the—"

"Gajeel!" Levy suddenly ran into me, shoving me away from where the cloaked man had been.

"Shrimp, what was that fo—" The words died on my tongue when I turned to face her. The cloaked man was standing behind her now, a dark chuckle coming from him.

"Now you've killed two solid script wizards," he sneered.

I noticed then the small tip of a dagger sticking out of Levy's side, just as he ripped it from her, leaving her to bleed in the dirt before disappearing. She collapsed immediately, blood pooling around her at an alarming rate.

"Shrimp!" I was ripping off my shirt as I ran to her, and I wrapped it around her, hoping to slow down the bleeding. "Shrimp, stay with me," I instructed as her eyes drifted closed. "You have to stay awake."

"Are—Are you…alright?" She whispered, so much pain in her voice that it had me clenching my fists in fury. The next time I saw that cloaked bastard, I was going to rip him to pieces.

"Don't worry about me," I told her, lifting her as gently as I could and taking off in the direction of the hospital. "You just have to stay awake until we get to the hospital, alright?"

"S-Sorry," she wheezed. She coughed slightly and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

I ran a little faster, panic replacing my anger. "Don't you dare die on me, Levy!"

She didn't answer. Her breathing had turned to shallow gasps, and she had taken to shivering as if she were cold. She had sagged completely against me by the time we reached the hospital, and I could barely hear her breathing anymore.

Doctors and nurses rushed her away, making me stay in the waiting room as they did so. As I stood there, covered in her blood, I could feel my entire world shattering.

 _Levy. Please, you can't die._


	8. 11 Days

I hadn't slept at all. The night had passed by in a blur of worry and fear, but I still hadn't heard anything about Levy. It was when a nurse attempted to hand me a coffee and I threw it across the waiting room that I realized I wasn't helping Levy by being an asshole.

"Sorry," I muttered to the shocked nurse, taking tissues and wiping up the mess.

"It's alright," he told me, smiling gently as he touched my shoulder and crouched down to help me. "I can't imagine how worried you must be. I know if my girlfriend were in here I'd be a wreck, too."

I didn't even have the energy to correct him as I continued wiping aimlessly at the steaming liquid soaking the tiled floor. It felt so much like Levy's blood had as it had soaked my hands the night before that I had to swallow hard against bile that rose in my throat.

"Go sit down," the nurse instructed, "I'll clean this up."

"Thanks," I nodded returning to my seat. I put my head in my hands, realizing that I was shaking. _Damn it. I should have been paying more attention! If I had, I could have stopped him, and Levy wouldn't be in here._

"Mr. Redfox?" I jumped up when someone said my name, going immediately to the man in a doctor's coat.

"How is she?" I asked.

He looked grim as a sigh escaped him. "I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head, "we've stabilized her for now, but I'm afraid that's all we can do. Whether or not she pulls through is entirely up to her now."

"Can I see her?" I asked, my chest suddenly too heavy.

"We'll move her to recovery in a few moments, then you may see her. However, because she's in a delicate state right now, we ask that no more than one person be let into the room at a time."

I nodded, unable to say anything else as he left. I sank back into my chair, feeling suddenly light-headed. _She's alive._ The thought echoed through my mind over and over again as I allowed myself to feel some sense of relief.

 ** _~Levy~_**

 _It hurts._ That was my first conscious thought. It was followed immediately by, _how the hell am I alive?_

The cloaked man had appeared so suddenly, his magic canceling dagger raised over Gajeel's back. I had done the only thing I could think to do at the moment—shove him out of the way. When it had pierced me, the dagger immediately drained me of my magic energy, as well as causing a pretty serious injury.

Wizards typically healed slightly faster than non-magic users thanks to their magic energy. And because mine had been drained, I'd been left at the mercy of the cloaked man's dagger. I was incredibly lucky that he hadn't hit anything vital, and that I hadn't bled out right there on the ground.

 _Gajeel._ The thought drifted into my mind, and I forced my eyes open, searching immediately for him. He was sitting beside my bed, his head laying on the mattress by my side, and both of his hands clasped firmly around mine.

 _He looks so tired._ There were dark circles under his eyes, and a deep crease on his brow. I also noticed that his hair was slightly wet and he was wearing a pair of green hospital scrubs. On any other occasion, I probably would have laughed at how ridiculous they looked on him, but I could barely bring myself to keep my eyes open, let alone laugh. _They must have made him change after he brought me here._ He had probably been covered in my blood by the time we arrived, so it wasn't surprising that they'd want him out of those clothes.

"Ga…jeel," I managed, weakly. It had been loud enough for him to hear, though, because his head snapped up and his crimson eyes met mine.

"Levy," his voice was low and gravely, betraying how tired he was.

I smiled at him, not sure I could convince my vocal chords to work again quite yet. I squeezed his hand in reassurance, letting him know I was alright.

"Thank God," he sighed before pulling me into his arms. "You scared me, Shrimp."

"S-Sorry."

"I'm the one who should be apologizing," he said into my ear, still holding me. "I should have never let my guard down like that."

I winced slightly as he laid me back against my pillows, but I quickly replaced it with a smile so he wouldn't worry.

"I'm going to get the doctor. He told me to let him know if anything changed," he said. I nodded as he left, letting out a long sigh once I was alone.

My left side felt like the dagger was still in there, and every muscle in my body was weak and sore. It would take a few days to get all of my magic energy back, and a few more after that to be back to full health.

"Miss McGarden," a man in a doctor's coat said as he came into the room, followed by two nurses. His lavender hair was quite short, and he had it slicked back. His blue eyes were warm, and put me a little more at ease when he smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Alive," I answered. My throat was beginning to feel less like a desert now, which I took as a good sign.

"Alive is good," he chuckled, examining my side. I noticed there were several stiches in the front, and I assumed there were even more in the back where the dagger had entered me. "We were worried about you for a while," he told me as he finished checking my vitals. "Especially that young man who brought you in here. We haven't been able to get him to leave since you got out of surgery."

"How long have I been here?" I asked.

"Nearly twenty-four hours now."

"Damn," I sighed. "The cloaked man will probably be showing up again soon."

"That's not something you're going to be bothered with right now," he said, sternly. "I'm putting you on bed rest for the next four days, so that job of yours can wait."

"But Gajeel—"

"Seems like a capable wizard who can take care of things while his injured partner gets some rest," he told me. "Now, get some rest. I'll send someone back in with some dinner in a little while."

"He's right, Shrimp," Gajeel said after the doctor and nurses had gone, standing in the doorway of my room. "We're heading back to Magnolia in the morning, as soon as the doctor gives you the clear to ride the train."

"But the cloaked man—"

"He's after me, remember? If we leave town, he will too. I think this was all just a stunt, anyways, to lure me out."

"What do you mean?"

"He made a big show of capturing girls just to lead me out here, just so he could capture me for some master of his. But, I don't think capturing me was ever his true plan."

"Why not?"

He sat in the chair beside my bed, crossing his arms. "Well, for one, he wasn't counting on my having anyone with me. If this is someone from my past—which it's got to be—then they only know how I _used_ to be. Before Fairy Tail, I wasn't exactly a team player, and the idea of having a teammate would have made me laugh. Whoever this guy's master is, he would have been expecting the old me.

"As for capturing me, I think that was a possible goal here, but not his main one. I think he mostly just wanted to test me, see what my magic is like now. If he really wanted to capture me, he would have done it. Instead, he drew out our fight as long as he could, using different spells to get different reactions from me."

"That's pretty well thought out," I chuckled.

He shrugged. "I've had nothing else to do all day. And besides, I needed the distraction."

"Sorry," I sighed.

"Would you stop apologizing?" He snapped, meeting my eyes. "You didn't do a damned thing wrong, Shrimp. In fact, it was you who got me to thinkin' about all of this. If he had really wanted to capture me, he would have done it while my focus was solely on you. Instead, he left."

"That's a good point," I nodded. _Someone from Gajeel's past. But who could it be? Whoever it is, they must have some strong grudge against him, to go to such lengths like this. And what was he talking about "now you've killed two solid script wizards"?_

"When we get back to Fairy Tail, I'll explain everything to you," Gajeel said, quietly, as if he knew what I was thinking.

"You know you don't have to," I said.

He nodded. "I know, but I need to. And there's something else I wanted to tell you when we got back, anyways."

"What is it?" I asked.

"When we get back," he said, shaking his head. "For now, get some rest."

 ** _~Gajeel~_**

I watched Levy as she slept, finally allowing myself a long sigh of relief. Every one of my nerves had been on edge since I had brought her to the hospital, and I finally felt like I could relax a little. I had kept my guard up, however, just in case that cloaked man reappeared. Part of me figured he wouldn't, though. After being defeated by me and Levy, he had probably returned to his master to report what he had learned.

I glanced at Levy, letting out another sigh. "That means she'll be in danger." If he had come to test my powers, then he would have been keeping a keen eye on anything that could be considered a weakness. _I'd say he found a pretty big one, too._ After Shrimp had been injured, I had completely let my guard down, worrying only about getting her to safety.

I hadn't even realized my own weakness until that moment, faced with the threat of losing her. The only thing on my mind had been getting her help, and that I couldn't lose her. In that moment, when I wasn't sure if she was going to live or die, I had actually been afraid. I had never felt fear like that.

 _When we get back to Magnolia, I'm going to tell you everything, Levy._ I knew that once I had told her she'd probably hate me, but I was strangely alright with that. If she hated me, at least she would be safe.

The thought of her hating me, despite lying to myself that it was for the best, made my chest constrict painfully. _But why?_

Without even realizing it, I had grown so attached to her. The way she smiled, the sound of her laugh, the ridiculous amount of books she was always carrying around…everything. I couldn't imagine my life without them anymore, and something about that terrified me. Never had I felt that way about anyone else.

Watching Levy, her face so soft and relaxed in sleep, I suddenly knew. I think I had known for a long time, to be honest, but I had been so resistant to the idea that I never let the thought linger.

After watching her almost die, though, there was no more denying the truth.

 _I love you, Levy._


	9. 10 Days

**_~Levy~_**

"Levy!" A teary-eyed Lucy cried, throwing her arms around me as soon as Gajeel and I entered the guildhall.

"Hey, Lu-chan," I giggled, hugging her back.

She pulled away, looking at me with large brown eyes. "Are you alright? Gajeel called on the communication lacrima and said you got hurt. When he told us what happened, I thought..."

"I'm fine now," I reassured her, offering a smile. "I'm just a little sore still."

"I'm takin' her home so she can get some rest," Gajeel said, adjusting my bag on his shoulder. "The doctor ordered three more days of bed rest." After receiving hugs from Jet and Droy, and reassuring them that I really would be alright, Gajeel and I left Fairy Tail.

"I wonder where Lily was," I frowned as we walked.

"He's fixing up the guest room for you," Gajeel replied.

I look up at him startled. "What?"

"I'm not leaving you alone, Shrimp," he said, glancing at me before returning his eyes to the path.

"Gajeel, I'm alright now. I can go home—"

"You're staying with Lily and me, so drop it. You can go home after you recover."

I sighed, knowing it would be a waste of energy to argue with him. "Fine."

"Besides," he said, quietly, "I need to talk to the two of you alone."

I nodded, unsure of what to say. He was going to explain what the cloaked man had meant. _Which means Gajeel will be telling us about his past._ The thought made me both excited and nervous. Although I was thrilled that Gajeel was finally opening up to me, I couldn't shake the memory of the dark aura that surrounded him every time it was brought up. Whatever he was about to tell us, it wasn't a happy part of his life.

"Levy," Lily smiled, greeting us, "you look well."

"You're a liar," I grinned.

"I'll take your things to the guest room," Gajeel said, disappearing down a hallway to the left. I had never been in Gajeel's house before, and I was a little startled by how… _normal_ …it was. The living room was painted a light beige with a matching carpet, and a dark green sofa sat in the middle of the room. There were also trinkets lined up on shelves around the room, and even a plant or two here and there. It was also tidy, unexpected since he was so similar to Natsu—and Natsu's house was always a mess.

"Have a seat," Lily told me, flying over to the sofa. He landed on the middle cushion, patting the one next to the right of him. I took a seat, pulling him into my lap and scratching his ears fondly.

"That didn't take long," Gajeel chuckled, coming back into the room. "Damned cat's turnin' into a pet."

"I am not a pet," Lily said, indignantly. "I just happen to enjoy my ears scratched."

"What is it you wanted to tell us?" I asked.

Gajeel's smile immediately turned into a frown and he sighed heavily. "I—" A knock on the door interrupted him, and his frown deepened. "Who the hell?" I heard him grumble under his breath as he made his way to the door.

"Levy!" A cry came as soon as the door was open, and I was suddenly engulfed in a flurry of aquamarine hair. "Are you alright?! How are you feeling? I was so worried!" Deidre's green eyes were bright with tears as they met mine. "When you never showed up, I traveled all the way to Magnolia to check on you, and Lily told me Gajeel had taken you on a trip and that you'd be back in a few days. I came again yesterday to see if you were back and if you wanted to have lunch somewhere, that's when I got the news that you'd been injured."

"I'm alright," I reassured her, smiling. "I'll be back to normal in a few days."

Her tears overflowed to run down her cheeks as she pulled me into another hug. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"C'mon, Dee," Gajeel sighed, patting the crying girl on top of the head when she released me, "don't suffocate the Shrimp."

"One of us has to be worried about her," she scolded, frowning at him as she wiped at her eyes. "You act like it wasn't a big deal."

"Don't let him fool you," I giggled, "he stayed by my bed the entire time I was in the hospital."

"Only because you were dying," he grumbled, the tips of his ears turning red.

 ** _~Gajeel~_**

Levy and Deidre chatted cheerfully as they sat on the sofa. After a few hours, I went with Lily to the kitchen, figuring I might as well cook something for Deidre to eat before she went home. _Levy might be getting hungry, too. She didn't eat much for lunch._

"Those two certainly have grown close," Lily commented as he chopped up a few carrots.

"They have a lot in common, I guess," I shrugged.

"I'm guessing what you're going to tell us has something to do with Deidre and Elijah."

I nodded. "Yeah. For me it's only been about 3 years since it happened, but for them it's been ten. It still weighs on me a lot, but they seem to have recovered and moved passed it. For the most part, at least."

"You're sure this is something you want to tell us?"

I let out a humorless laugh. "Hell no. But I need to."

"Gajeel!" Dee called, skipping into the room. "Poor Levy will starve to death, waiting on you slowpokes."

"How about _you_ cook then?" I growled, stirring the soup.

"Is that vegetable soup?" She asked, staring into the pan. "I haven't had that in years! Probably the last time I had it was when mom made it for us at my eighth birthday."

I hadn't realized I'd stop stirring until she covered her mouth with her hands. "Sorry," she mumbled through them. "I keep forgetting it's been a lot longer for me than it has you."

"Don't worry about it, kid," I told her, patting the top of her head.

"I'm not a kid anymore," she pouted, swatting my hand away, "I'm almost as old as you now, you know."

"Maybe, but ya still act like a kid. Gihi."

"Something smells good," Levy said from the doorway of the kitchen.

I stiffened, wondering if she had just seen the exchange between Dee and me. _So what if she did? It's not like there was anything to it._ For some stupid reason, though, I cared about her getting the wrong idea.

"It's soup," Dee grinned. "You know, Gajeel's actually a pretty good cook. He doesn't look like it, but he's handy with a knife and a frying pan."

"How about I show ya how handy?" I grumbled when Levy laughed.

"Don't be rude, Gajeel," Dee frowned, sticking her tongue out at me.

"Tch. Why don't you go set the table while I'm finishing up? The bowls are over there."

"Sure," she nodded, going to the cupboard and pulling out bowls and spoons.

"What can I do?" Levy asked.

"You can sit down and relax," I instructed, pointing to a chair. "You're supposed to be on bed rest, remember?"

"That doesn't mean I can't do anything," she frowned.

"Yes it does. Sit."

Muttering under her breath, she went to the table and sat down, convincing Dee to let her help set the table.

Lily chuckled beside me. "You realize Levy isn't going to just do what you say, right? She doesn't listen to anyone."

I sighed. "I know, and that's what's so frustrating. I'm just tryin' to do what the doctor told me, but I also know the Shrimp isn't just going to sit back and let me take care of her for the next three days, either."

"It seems you've got your work cut out for you," Lily smirked.

"Shut it, cat."

"Gajeeeel" Dee groaned, "is the soup done yet? We're starving over here!"

"Gimme a damned minute," I snapped, taking the soup off the stove. I carried it to the table and sat it down. "There. It's hot, so be careful."

"Gajeel, you're the best!" Levy gasped, filling her bowl with soup. "It looks great."

"Uh, thanks, Shrimp," I said, taking a seat beside Lily.

"What?" I snapped, noticing Dee smirking at me from across the table.

"Oh, nothing," she sang, going back to her soup.

"Damned brat," I muttered.

Dee stayed until the last train left Magnolia, promising Levy she'd be back on the first train the next morning. She had helped Levy change her bandages before leaving, much to my relief. I had been secretly nervous about having to do it all day.

"So," Levy said, pausing to yawn, "did you want to talk to Lily and me now?"

I noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the way her blinking had slowed, and I shook my head. "Not tonight. You need to get some rest. We can talk tomorrow."

She nodded, standing up and stretching. "Alright, tomorrow it is, then. Good night, Gajeel. Lily."

"Goodnight Levy," Lily said as I merely nodded.

"What you want to tell us," Lily said after Levy had gone into the guest room and shut the door, "it's about Deidre's mother, isn't it?"

"Yeah," I sighed.

"Is it how she died?" He asked.

I glanced at the guest room door, wondering if it really would be for the best to tell Levy what had happened. Sure, she needed to know, but I didn't want it to change things between us. _And she's really close to Dee now, so maybe it would be best to just let her find out on her own._ Besides, she might be safer if she didn't know the whole story.

"Gajeel?" Lily asked.

I turned back to him, "yeah, it has to do with how she died. It's the reason this bastard is after me too, I think."

"What do you mean?"

I sighed, trying to think of the words. I had never spoken about it out loud. As long as I'd been friends with Juvia, even _she_ didn't know about it. I'd never told anyone because it wasn't something I liked to talk about. In all honesty, I wished I could forget about it completely. But I couldn't. I'd have to bare that burden for the rest of my life, so I might as well tell someone about it.

"The other solid script wizard he was talking about me knowing was Deidre's mother."

Lily looked shocked. "But, Deidre didn't appear to know what Solid Script magic was the first time we met her."

"Because Lorelei never told her what type of magic she used. She worked for an independent employer, and didn't belong to a guild. She never used her magic at home, either. She told me once that magic was a weapon, and should only be used as such. That's why she never used it unless she was working."

"But magic is so much more than a weapon," Lily frowned.

I nodded. "I know that now, but back then I completely agreed with her. Lorelei was an incredible wizard, and I was a stupid kid looking for somewhere to fit in, so I practically idolized her. Before I joined Phantom Lord, I lived with them, and I went on a few jobs with Lorelei. Some of them were bad news. Any decent wizard probably wouldn't have done them, considering they were things like theft and stuff. But I did whatever Lorelei told me to. And if her employer hired her to steal something, I helped her.

"The last job we went on, I knew I should have stopped her. The employer had offered her over a million Jewel to steal some stupid tool from a dark guild. It was a guild known for taking assassination requests at the time, so we knew they were dangerous."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair at the memory. "But Lorelei didn't care. She just told me that, as wizards, it was our job to perform dangerous tasks that those without our power couldn't. Because we were weapons, we should follow our employer's commands, even if it got us killed.

"And in the end, that's what happened. We went to the dark guild and retrieved the tool. We were on our way out when they cornered us. Lorelei was an incredible fighter, probably even stronger than I was back then, and together we managed to take out most of the guild."

"Take out? As in—"

I nodded. "We killed 'em."

"But you knew it was against the council's laws," he said.

Again, I nodded. "I did, but I was a stupid kid. Lorelei told me that was the only way we'd be able to get out of there alive, so we did it. But the guild master wasn't too pleased, as I bet you can guess. He heard the commotion and came to the main room where we had just killed practically his entire guild, and he was pissed. We didn't know it before going in there, but he could use some kind of dark magic that enabled him to control people.

"Since Lorelei was the stronger wizard, he naturally chose to take over her and have her kill me. As we were fighting, Lorelei gave me the tool and told me to get it back to her employer—no matter what. Unfortunately, that guy wasn't letting me go so easily. And as long as he was alive, I knew I'd never be able to get far. Even if I ran, he could send Lorelei after me. And if he didn't have her, he could just use his magic on me. So, Lorelei told me to kill him."

"If he was controlling Lorelei's body, how could you get close enough to him to do that?" Lily asked.

"I couldn't," I sighed, staring down at my tightly clenched hands. "But, if his control over someone was broken, he was left defenseless for a few seconds—just enough time for me to get to him and finish him off. So, we broke his control over Lorelei, and I took him out, just like she told me to do."

"How did you break it?"

I looked at him, saying the one thing I had always refused to say out-loud before. "I killed her."

 **(Thanks so much for reading! Reviews are my life-blood, and I love getting them! ;P)**


	10. 6 Days

**_~Levy~_**

I stretched as I stood up, looking around the cluttered room. The guest room looked like a miniature library, even just after only three days of my being there. I was finally off of bed rest, and I had managed to convince Gajeel to let me go to Deidre's house for the afternoon.

In my time off, I had finished reading the book I'd found while in the ancient library with Gajeel nearly a month before, and I was eager to tell Elijah what I'd discovered about the light pen. _And hopefully encourage him to give it to the council,_ I thought, remembering the use the book had described for the pen. _In all reality, it shouldn't exist._

"Good morning, Gajeel," I smiled, meeting him in the kitchen. Lily was setting the table as Gajeel finished cooking eggs and sausage.

"Mornin' Shrimp," Gajeel grunted.

"You look completely recovered," Lily told me, returning my smile.

"I'll still need the bandages for a few more days, but all of my magic energy has returned," I said. "Since it's back, my wounds don't feel as bad as they did, and they should heal faster, too."

"You're still not allowed to do anything too physical, though," Gajeel said, piling the food onto plates on the table.

"I know," I sighed, taking my seat at the table. "Geeze, you're as bad as Jet and Droy, fretting over me."

"It's because I care about ya," Gajeel huffed.

"Th-thanks," I answered, stupidly. Hearing Gajeel say something like that made me incredibly flustered, so I busied myself with adding syrup to my pancakes.

"You'll be taking the twelve o'clock train to Deidre's today, won't you?" Lily asked.

"Yeah. I promised to go have lunch with her at a little café in town she likes, and then we're going to continue her training."

"You shouldn't be using your magic," Gajeel frowned.

"I won't," I reassured him. "I usually only have to show her once and she catches on quickly. She's a natural with Solid Script magic." I frowned when Gajeel and Lily exchanged a small glance, but chose not to question it.

"I should go pack my bag. My train leaves in about twenty minutes," I said once we had finished eating and cleaning up the kitchen.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like one of us to accompany you?" Lily asked, following me to the guest room.

"I'm sure," I told him, bending down to scratch his ear. "I honestly do feel a lot better. Besides, the doctor said short train rides after three days would be alright, didn't he?"

He nodded. "You'll be returning here again tonight, right?"

I paused after slinging my bag over my shoulder. Would I? Since I was pretty much recovered, I didn't need help doing anything. So, it would be fine to go home. Part of me, however, felt sad about that. I liked staying with Gajeel and Lily. I always had someone to talk to, and the two of them were a lot of fun to be around. _Don't kid yourself, Levy. Being around Gajeel all day every day is the real reason you liked staying here._

"She's staying here until those bandages come off," Gajeel said, startling Lily and me. He stood in the doorway, his arms crossed. "It won't hurt to have her stay a few extra days just to be safe."

"Alright," I nodded.

"Shrimp, I know you think you're fine, but—wait, what?" He stared at me, bewildered. "Alright?"

"That's what I said," I told him, going passed him and heading for the front door.

"You aren't going to argue about it?" He asked.

"It wouldn't do any good," I said. "So, I'll stay until the bandages are off."

"Okay then," he nodded.

"I'll see you two tonight," I waved, walking towards the train station.

The train ride felt longer than usual, thanks to the annoying ache in my side. A lot of movement seemed to irritate it a lot, so I was glad when the train stopped and I could get off of it.

"Levy!" Dee smiled, meeting me at the train station. "How was the trip? It didn't bother you too much, did it? I could have come to you in Magnolia; it wouldn't have been a problem."

"It was fine," I reassured her. "I wanted to get out of town, anyways. I was getting a bit stir-crazy only being able to go to Gajeel's house and the guildhall the last few days. It's only a twenty minute train ride, so it went by quickly."

"If you're sure," she said, taking my hand and leading me back towards her house. "Daddy was setting up a surprise for you back at the house. I can't wait for you to see it!"

"What kind of surprise?" I asked curiously.

"I can't tell you that," she giggled. When we reached the front door, she pushed me in front of her. "You go in first."

"O-Okay," I nodded, opening the door and going inside. A loud bang caused me to jump, and Dee laughed excitedly behind me as confetti fell through the air. "What's all this for?" I asked, looking at the balloons and confetti.

"It's a get well party," Dee announced. "We couldn't do it while you were really injured, so we waited until you were well enough to ride the train. I even baked a cake."

"You shouldn't have done all this," I said, touched that they had gone through all the trouble.

"Nonsense," Eli chuckled, placing his hand on my shoulder, "you were nearly killed, after all. Your recovery is something to celebrate, don't you think?"

"Let's have cake!" Dee led me over to the small cake with yellow icing. It had "Get Well Soon, Levy!" written on the top in pink icing, along with pink-icing flowers.

"It's cute," I chuckled.

"It tastes even better than it looks!" Dee winked. She cut me a piece, smiling eagerly as I took a bite.

"It's good!" I told her.

Her smile widened as she cut pieces for herself and Eli. "Gajeel told me you like chocolate cake, so I hoped he was right."

"Gajeel told you that?" I asked.

"Yeah. He answered immediately, too, when I asked him. It was actually kind of cute." Heat creeped up neck as she winked at me.

"Don't tease the poor girl," Eli scolded. "Her and Gajeel's relationship isn't any of your business, Deidre."

"Gajeel—Gajeel and I don't have a relationship," I stuttered. "We're just friends."

" _Sure_ you are," she smirked.

"We should get started on your training," I said, knowing my cheeks were probably scarlet. "You can go through all the spells you know before we go to lunch."

She stuffed the rest of her cake into her mouth, cheering. "I've been practicing all the spells you taught me! I'm getting really good at them!"

"I can't wait to see," I grinned, allowing her to drag me to the back yard.

Like she had said, she had practically mastered the basic spells I had taught her. Things like fire, snow, and rain were beginner's spells, and she had picked them up the first week I had begun teaching her. More difficult ones which required more magic energy she was proficient in, but could always use more practice.

After a couple hours of her showing me what she had been working on, she stretched her arms and sighed loudly. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving! How about some lunch?"

"Lunch sounds wonderful," I agreed. "I'm excited to eat at this café you keep talking about."

"You'll love it! They have the best Paninis and tea!"

We talked about what spells she would learn next as we walked to the café. "What about some defense spells?" She suggested. "I know I said I didn't want to learn anything too advanced, but I think a few basic ones wouldn't be too hard."

"I can teach you some easy ones for now," I nodded, "and once you master those, we can move on to more difficult things if you'd like. I should be fully healed by then, so I'll be able to train with you."

"Really?" She asked, her eyes practically sparkling with excitement.

I chuckled. "But first, let's eat lunch."

We ordered our food and drinks, Dee talking excitedly about learning more Solid Script magic. "If I can master the shield spell, then I'll have a good base," she was telling me as she ate her Panini. "So maybe next I could learn something like that fire heat spell that you can do. The one that makes the blue fire!"

"That one is a little harder to learn, since it's more of an attack spell," I told her, "so we should probably work up to it. If we're focusing on defense spells for now, another good one to learn is solid script hole. It drops your opponents into a hole and gives you time to escape. Once you master it, you can even close it with your opponents inside, trapping them."

"Wow!" She gasped. "That's amazing! Would you show me?"

"Maybe in a couple of days," I grinned. "I was ordered by doctor Gajeel that I couldn't use much magic until my bandages came off. He's afraid it will strain my injury and it'll reopen."

"You get to have your stitches removed tomorrow, don't you?" She asked.

"I do, but Gajeel has been fretting over me like that since I got back from the hospital. I think he blames himself for what happened, so he wants to make sure I recover alright."

"What exactly happened? Gajeel told us you got stabbed by a magic-cancelling dagger, but he didn't tell us how."

"We were attacked by a Solid Script user, once who worked for someone from Gajeel's past. He told us he was supposed to capture Gajeel for his master, but Gajeel isn't sure that was his real plan. He thinks he was just testing him, to see what his strength is like now. As we were fighting him, he appeared behind Gajeel, getting ready to stab him. I didn't have time to react with a spell, so I pushed Gajeel out of the way. That's when he stabbed me and disappeared.

"After that, Gajeel rushed me to the hospital. The doctor said it missed any vital organs, and he was able to stitch me up. I bled quite a bit, though, and I would have been in a lot worse shape than I was if Gajeel hadn't been able to run so fast."

"No wonder Gajeel's acting so concerned," Dee said, setting down her empty tea glass. "I'm sure he was scared to death all those hours he had to wait for the doctors to finish patching you up. And since the man was going for him, it's understandable that he would blame himself."

"I know, but I wish he wouldn't," I sighed.

She placed her hand over mine, smiling kindly, "he cares about you. Whether he's ready to admit it or not, he really does. I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you. And he never used to be so caring and considerate of anyone as he is you. Back when I was little, he was always so cold and distant. Sure, he warmed up after a while, but it took a long time before he would even _smile_. It all seems to come to him so naturally when he's around you."

"You really think so?" I asked, wondering if that were really the case. My heart fluttered excitedly in the hope that she was even the tiniest bit correct about Gajeel's feelings. _Sure, he cares about me. He's admitted that himself, but is it anything other than just how friends care for each other?_ I prayed it was. No matter how skeptical a part of me remained.

"How about it?" Dee grinned. "Want to get back to training?"

"We have a lot of work to do if you want to begin learning defensive and offensive magic," I said. "I hope you're ready to work hard."

"Of course!" She laughed, skipping towards her house. "Come on!"

"Slow down!" She chuckled. "I'm still injured, remember?"

She came to a sudden halt, grabbing my hands as she met my eyes, "we both have to get a lot stronger, because there are things we need to fight to protect."

"Yeah," I nodded, a little confused by her sudden seriousness. After a moment, she released me and continued her skipping, chatting animatedly about her training.

 _That was strange,_ I thought, wondering what she had been talking about. _What does she want to protect?_ I shrugged, telling myself it wasn't any of my business. I had fun teaching Deidre Solid Script magic, and she seemed to have fun learning it.

"Keep practicing the shield spell," I instructed as we entered the house. "Try to get the word as tall as you. The larger it is, the more it will be able to shield you from. But you also have to be careful; sometimes you spread out the magic to increase the size of the word, instead of increasing the amount of magic you put into it. If you don't put more magic into it, the magic in the word will be much weaker because it's trying to cover a larger area with that little amount of magic. But, if you put more magic into it, it will stay just as strong as your smaller shield spell. Does that make sense?"

"The stronger or larger the word, the more magic I should put into it," she said, summing up my explanation.

"Exactly. Give it a try, and I'll direct you."

We continued practicing until the sun began to sink. I knew Gajeel would worry if I didn't get back soon, so I told Dee I would need to be heading home. She agreed, saying she needed a break herself. She was covered in sweat, and looked worn out from all of the magic she had used while practicing, so we promised to pick up the next day where we had left off.

"I'm going to head to the shower," she told me. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow," I repeated.

"Heading out so soon?" Eli asked, handing me the rest of my cake to take back with me. "Here, you can share this with Gajeel and Lily."

"Thank you. It means a lot," I said.

"Don't mention it," he smiled. "It's the least we could do. You've livened up this boring old house quite a bit since you started teaching that magic to Deidre."

"Oh, that's right!" I gasped, remembering the book on ancient solid script magic. "I wanted to tell you what I learned about that light pen."

"The one you kids brought me from that job a while back?"

"That's the one. I took a book from the library's ruins that described the pen and what it was used for."

"What did it say? Anything interesting?"

"I think you should hand it over to the council."

He frowned. "Why's that?"

"Because it isn't an ordinary light pen. It was created by a doctor in one of the earliest villages in the country. He used solid script magic, and became enthralled in the never-ending possibilities of being able to create things merely by thinking of the right word. According to the book, he was obsessed with it, and was convinced that the magic made him like a god because he could create anything. He even believed he could create life, just by using enough magic."

"Life?" Eli's frown deepened. "That's impossible."

"I know. Everyone knows it's impossible to create a life with magic, it simply can't be done. Soon, he realized this as well. However, he eventually transferred his obsession onto something else—something more dangerous."

"And what was that?" He asked.

"The light pen. It can only perform one spell, and if the council knew about it I'm sure they would destroy it."

"What does it do?"

I frowned, remembering the descriptions I had read of all the testing the doctor had done to perfect the spell. _All the lives taken._

"It can bring someone back from the dead."

 **(Thanks for reading! 3 Only a few chapters until the end! And things will be getting serious in the next chapter. ^_^)**


	11. 3 Days

"It feels great not to have those annoying stitches anymore," I sighed, rubbing my side. It was still sore, but not like it had been before. Since the stitches had been out, it was much more comfortable.

"The bandages will officially come off tomorrow," Gajeel said, following me into Magnolia. I was meeting up with Deidre again for training, and I was excited to get to actually _use_ some magic in our training for once. I was sick of just watching her get to have all the fun with the spells.

"I can't wait," I grinned. "I'll be all healed up in just a couple more days, and then I can take jobs again! A week without one has been pretty boring." I looked over when Gajeel huffed in agreement. "You and Lily can take one if you want. I'll be alright on my own. I was going to go home tomorrow, anyways, so going home one day early won't make a difference. I'm sure you've been even more bored than I have, since you usually take so many jobs."

"It hasn't been that boring," he mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets. "It's been kinda nice havin' ya around all the time."

"It has?" I asked, incredulous.

"Don't act so shocked," he frowned. "It's usually only me and Lily, so the change made up for the fact that I couldn't take a job. Hell," he chuckled, "it might even be a little lonely once you're gone."

We both froze, shocked at his confession. Judging by the mortified look on his face I'd say it had slipped out accidentally. He cleared his throat, pointing to the parked train. "You'd better get going or the train will leave without you."

I stepped onto the train, pausing to look back at him. "If it's all the same," I smiled, "I liked staying with you, too." I hurried to my seat after that, wondering why I had just told him that. _Hopefully he'll forget about it by the time I get back tonight._ I doubted he would though, judging by the startled look he had given me.

The train ride today seemed longer than usual, and I was restless by the time it finally came to a stop. I'd had a strange feeling since I left Magnolia, but I couldn't tell what it was exactly. _I'm just still flustered from that conversation we'd had at the train station,_ I told myself. I had confessed a lot more to him than I probably should have, and I hoped it didn't undo some of the progress we'd made while I'd been living with Gajeel and Lily.

Since my release from the hospital, Gajeel had been so attentive to me. He'd been so kind, and I had gotten to see a new side of him—one that made me like him even more. _Like…don't kid yourself, Levy. You know it's been way passed like for a long time now…_ That it had. I'd been in love with Gajeel since before that mission we'd gone one a month ago, and that feeling had only grown stronger the more I was around him. Although the circumstances were terrible, I couldn't say I wasn't at least a little bit happy about getting to see the kinder, softer sides of Gajeel.

In a better mood as I reached Dee's house, I knocked on the door with a smile on my face. She'd been learning the Solid Script: Hole spell, and had picked it up quickly. If she managed to master it today, I'd begin teaching her a more difficult word like "chains" or "boulder". We had decided to stick with defensive spell for now, and move onto attack spell once she'd gotten the hang of those.

"That's strange," I murmured, knocking again on the door. It usually only took a few moments for either Dee or Eli to open the door for me. After several more minutes of silence from inside the house, I tried the handle. It wasn't locked, so they couldn't have gone out.

"Dee? Eli?" I called as I stepped inside. I gasped when I saw the state of the living room. Pictures hung at odd angles on the walls, stands were turned on their sides, trinkets were knocked off their shelves…the entire room was in disarray. Upon inspecting the rest of the house, I found it in the same condition.

"Dee! Eli!" I called out more urgently now as I searched for them. _What could have happened to them?_ Whatever it was, I couldn't waste any time. I had to return to Magnolia to tell Gajeel and Lily, and get their help finding Dee and Eli.

I had just exited the house when something crashed into me from the side. I rolled across the grass, finally able to catch myself and scramble to my feet as I looked for the source of the attack.

"Solid Script: Blades!" The words shot towards me, and I was barely able to throw myself out of the way when the word pierced the ground where I had been standing.

"It's you!" I gasped. The cloaked figure appeared from the side of the house, their hood still raised to block out their face. "What have you done with Dee and Eli?!"

"They're alive," he said, stopping just across the yard from me. "As long as you cooperate and do as you're told, no harm will come to them."

"And what is it you're telling me to do?" I snapped.

"Come with me quietly. I'd rather not carry you all the way back to my master."

"And what does your master want with me?"

"Gajeel Redfox."

I frowned. "If you have Dee and Eli, Gajeel would have searched for you, anyways. Why do you need me?"

"That isn't any of your concern. Now, come quietly, unless of course you don't care what happens to your dear friends."

"Where are we going?"

He let out a long sigh. "I am tired of your questions. This is your last chance."

"Solid Script: Fire!" I threw the word at him before taking off towards town. If I could reach a populated area, I could shout and have someone call Fairy Tail on a communication lacrima. At least then they'd know about Dee and Eli being in trouble. _But I can't stay in the town very long; I can't risk him hurting any innocent people._

"Solid Script: Chains!" I heard from behind me, telling me the spell hadn't given me as much time as I'd hoped.

"Solid Script: Boulder!" I threw the large words into his, smirking when the chains wrapped around the boulder before rolling towards the cloaked man.

"Solid Script: Wall." He put the word up in front of me, cutting off my escape.

"Damn," I breathed, turning to face him. "Solid Script: Bubble!" He looked startled when the words entrapped him, but he didn't seem too concerned. _Until I do this._ "Solid Script: Water!" I watched in satisfaction as the water filled the bubble trapping him with no air inside the bubble. I had mimicked Juvia's Water Lock, and was pretty impressed with how it had turned out.

Leaving him, I ran around the wall and continued towards town. _Hopefully that will hold him a little longer—_ "Solid Script: Cage!" I was suddenly surrounded, trapped in the iron-like bars of the words. _How am I supposed to get out of here?!_ I had never seen this spell before, so I wasn't sure how to counter it.

"My patience has run out, miss McGarden," he growled, standing just on the other side of the bars. When I struck out at him, he caught my arm. In one swift motion, he pulled out his magic-canceling dagger and sliced the palm of my hand with it. I felt my magic significantly weaken as he did so, and my legs threatened to give out.

"Now, let us return to my master. Solid Script: Sleep." The spell hit me in the face, and as I breathed it in, my head began to spin.

"No, damn it," I groaned, fighting to remain conscious. The cage disappeared, and the cloaked man caught me as my legs finally gave out. Rather unceremoniously, he slung me over his shoulder and started walking back to Eli and Dee's house. Instead of staying on the path, he veered off into the forest beside it, and continued on.

 _I have to stay awake. I have to memorize the way so I can escape and lead Gajeel back to where they're keeping Dee and Eli. I…have to…stay…_

 ** _~Gajeel~_**

 _"If it's all the same, I liked staying with you, too."_ Levy's words echoed in my mind for probably the hundredth time since she left. My confession about being lonely when it was time for her to return to her own house had completely slipped out. I have half expected her to tell me not to be foolish or something like that, but she hadn't. Instead, she had told me _that._ She had complained about me forcing her to stay with me and Lily, but she had actually _enjoyed_ it.

 _Maybe you should just ask her to make the arrangement permanent, then._ The thought crept into my mind without permission, and I quickly scolded myself for even entertaining the idea. Sure, I knew that the Shrimp cared for me, but I wasn't about to scare her off completely by doing something stupid like that. _Even if you want to._

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. "I'm in way too deep."

"In what too deep?" Lily asked, startling me.

"Nothin'," I said, a little too quickly.

"If you're planning on telling Levy how you feel, you should probably tell her about Deidre's mother as well," Lily said.

"W-What? Who the hell said anything about—I'm not going too—" I finally managed to silence my rambling with a quiet curse. "I'm going to tell her about Lorelei tonight. After that, my feelings won't really matter. She's going to want nothing to do with me."

"I think you're underestimating Levy quite severely by assuming that," Lily frowned. "What you did in your past doesn't change who you are right now. And you only did what you thought was right at the time. Levy will understand that. If she cares for you as much as I believe she does, what you tell her won't matter."

"It should," I sighed. "I killed Deidre's mother, Lily."

"And you can't change that," Lily said. "But you have been trying to atone for it, and I believe since you joined Fairy Tail you have."

"I don't think I'll ever be able to truly atone for it," I frowned. "Somehow it seems Eli and Dee have managed to forgive me for it, but I still see Lorelei's face every time I look at either one of them. And I just remember the way Eli had seemed so… _broken_ when I told him what happened. I left before he told Dee, but I know it must have crushed her too. It was her mom, and Eli's wife, and it was my fault she died. They shouldn't have forgiven me."

"If you let hate and resentment rule you're life, you can't ever truly live," Lily told me. "I'm sure they realized that, and they realized it wasn't your fault, so they were able to forgive you. Just like how everyone at Fairy Tail forgave you for what happened while you were in Phantom Lord. They knew most of the hostility was planted in your head by Jose, and you have done nothing but loyally help them since then, so everyone forgave you."

"Yet another person who shouldn't have forgiven me," I grumbled, thinking of Levy and her team mates. While she had forgiven me soon after I joined, it was almost a year before Jet and Droy openly told me they forgave me for what had happened.

"You're right," Lily suddenly said. "You shouldn't tell her how you feel."

"What?" I asked, shocked. A minute ago, he had been telling I _should_.

"If you can't forgive yourself, you'll never be able to let it go and it will continue simmering. You'll never be able to be happy that way. If you're constantly letting yourself get lost in the past, you will trap her in it as well. Levy deserves someone who is happy to be with her."

"I _would_ be happy to be with her," I snapped, defensively. "Hell, I'd be damned over-joyed if she even _considered_ my feelings."

"Then follow her, Eli, and Dee's lead and forgive yourself," he sighed. "Do that, and then just tell her you love her already."

"W-What?!" I practically fell off the sofa. "I don't—I mean, I care for her, but I never said—that's a pretty big word—I wouldn't say I—"

"Seriously," he sighed again, shaking his head as he left me alone, still trying to find words, "everyone knows how you feel about each other except you two."

I sat there in stunned silence once he was gone. _What the hell did he mean, everyone knows how we feel about each other?_ That suggested Levy felt the same way I did, which couldn't be true. _Could it?_

I spent the rest of the day thinking about what Lily had said. It had been ten years for Dee and Eli, and that would be a long time to hold hatred. If they really hadn't forgiven me, there was no way they would have welcomed me back into their lives so willingly. But because they had, it made me think that maybe I was being too hard on myself. _If they can forgive me, then there's no reason I shouldn't be able to forgive myself, either._

The same went for Levy. If she could forgive me, and even grow feelings for me, then maybe it wasn't so wrong for me to have feelings for her, too. _Because it's too late to deny them anymore, anyways,_ I sighed to myself. After admitting to myself that I loved Levy while she was injured in the hospital, I knew there was no going back.

"Levy hasn't returned yet?" Lily brought me out of my thoughts when he came into the living room, frowning.

"No," I replied, shaking my head.

"She's always home in time to help us with dinner," he said.

"Maybe she got held up at Dee's, or the train is running late," I offered. Even as I said, though, I knew that wasn't it. A feeling in my gut told me something was wrong.

"Where are you going?" Lily asked as I headed for the door.

"I'm going to head over to Dee's. You stay here in case she comes back."

"Alright," he nodded. I rushed to the train station. Although I would have preferred to walk, the train would be faster. _And if something is wrong, I have to get there as quickly as possible._

I practically jumped off the train when it finally stopped, and I took off at a sprint to Dee's house. I knew immediately something was wrong when I spotted that the front door was ajar. The inside of the house was a mess, and no one was inside.

"Shit!" I growled, returning to the front yard. I noticed a chunk of the ground had been disturbed, and I recognized the solid script magic instantly. _It must have been that cloaked bastard!_ If he had attacked Dee and Eli, and Levy tried protecting them, then she could have gotten injured.

"This is my fault." He had been after me before, wanting to take me back to his master, so it would make sense for him to go after Levy and the others. _He knows I'll come straight to him if he has them._

I stopped in my tracks when I picked up a familiar sent. Like paper and vanilla, and something metallic that caused my nose to wrinkle and my blood to turn to ice. _Blood._ Levy's blood. The crimson liquid was nearly dry, so it had been there a while. The scent was still strong, however, so I immediately followed it.

 _I should go back to Fairy Tail for backup, but I don't have time for that! When I don't come back, I'm sure Lily will know something happened and get help. If they've had her for a few hours already, it's hard to tell what they've done to her._ A growl rumbled deep in my chest at the thought of her being harmed by that cloaked bastard, and deadly anger boiled my blood.

 _If he puts even a scratch on her, I'm going to kill him._ Ignoring the quickly setting sun, I made my way into the forest by Dee's house, following Levy's scent. _Once I find you, Levy, I swear I'm never letting you go again._

 **WHOO! Only a couple chapters left! We're getting so close to the end! (Whether that's a good or bad thing I'm not really sure...ha!)**

 **Thank you so much for reading this far, and I hope you're enjoying the story! ~~Reviews give me air, and blood, and other essential things to live. ;)~~**


	12. 1 Day

**Hey everyone! So sorry for the long wait on updates! I kind of lost my writing mojo for a while, and right as I was getting it back I started classes again. DX BUT! I found time to write, and I ended up finishing this story! I'll be posting the last few chapters all together, so I hope you enjoy! ^_^**

 ** _~Levy~_**

"Shouldn't she have woken up by now? Dad, I'm worried about her."

The voice drifted into my mind as consciousness began slowly returning to me. _Is that…Deidre?_ She sounded so close, but that couldn't be right. The cloaked man had captured her and Eli, and had taken them somewhere to lure Gajeel to his master. _Wait a minute,_ the events of before my sleep flooded through my mind, _I was captured, too. That man…he hit me with some sort of sleeping spell._

A pain in my left hand brought consciousness suddenly back to me, and I sat up, opening my eyes and looking around. We were in a cell made up of a magic barrier of some kind. Glancing down at the hand the cloaked man had sliced with his magic-canceling dagger, I knew I wouldn't have enough magic energy to break it for a few more hours.

"Levy!" Dee's voice brought me from my thoughts, and I felt tears fill my eyes when I saw she seemed unharmed. She wrapped her arms around me, tears falling onto my shoulder as she cried. "I'm so glad you're alright! You were asleep for so long, and I was getting worried about you!"

"Don't crowd her, Dee," Eli told his daughter, placing a hand on her shoulder, "give her some breathing room."

"Are you both alright?" I asked, not spotting any injuries from where I sat, but wanting to be sure.

"We're fine," Dee nodded. "He knocked us out with that sleeping spell before we could fight back much, so don't worry. We weren't out as long as you were, though."

"I used more of my magic energy fighting him before he got me," I said, "so that's probably it."

"And he injured you with that magic-canceling dagger of his," Eli noted, pointing to my hand.

"I bandaged it up for you," Dee told me as I looked down at it. "I could only wrap it with a piece of my shirt, so it isn't the best, but it'll do until we can get out of here."

"I'm sure Gajeel will be on his way soon," I reassured them. "By nightfall when I haven't returned, he'll come looking for me." Dee and Eli exchanged a look that made me frown. "What?"

"When we mentioned you sleeping longer than we did," Dee began, "we meant you slept a _lot_ longer than we did. Like, almost two full days."

I stared at them in shock. "Two full days?"

Eli nodded. "You arrived with the cloaked man the day before yesterday, in the evening, and have been asleep since then. He has come by once every few hours to check on us, but when you still weren't awake, he merely left. He did leave food for us earlier, but that is all the more he has even spoken to us since we were brought here."

"And Gajeel hasn't arrived yet?" I asked.

Dee shook her head, letting out a sad sigh, "I overheard him saying something about a barrier around this area which will throw off Gajeel's sense of smell. It could take him a while to find us if that's the case."

"Damn," I snapped, getting to my feet.

"You should take it easy," Eli protested. "It's difficult to say what kind of effect that magic had on you."

"I'm fine," I said. "Our main concern should be getting out of here. I can worry about my health later."

"How are we going to get out of here?" Dee asked. "Dad and I have tried everything; there's no way out of this stupid box."

"If I had my magic light pen, I'd be able to rewrite some of these magic runes," I grumbled, angry that the man had taken my bag. _It would take longer because I'm low on magic, but at least I wouldn't just be sitting around and waiting!_

"Here he comes," Dee whispered, sitting closer to her father as the cloaked man appeared from the shadows and walked towards our little barrier-cell. I stood in front of them, prepared to fight if I had to.

"Calm down, little one," he chuckled, "I'm not here to fight you. I merely came to see if you had regained consciousness yet."

"As you can see, I have," I snapped. "You have me, so let Dee and Eli go. They have nothing to do with this!"

"Ah, but they have _everything_ to do with this, I'm afraid," he said, stopping just on the other side of the barrier.

"What do you mean?" I frowned, glancing back at my two cell mates.

"They—" Before he could finish, there was rustling in the trees around us, and Gajeel suddenly burst through them. He stopped when he spotted Dee, Eli, and me in the magic barrier-cell, and his eyes quickly turned to the cloaked man.

"Right on time," the man chuckled. "I knew as soon as the outside barrier was lifted you'd find your way to me."

"Let them go right now, ya cloaked bastard," Gajeel growled, his hands balling into tight fists at his sides.

"I can't do that quite yet," he sighed. "You see, my master has plans for that little bluenette you're so fond of, and the other two are the reason we're here in the first place."

"He keeps saying that," I frowned, looking at Gajeel, "what does he mean?"

"Levy—"

"You haven't told her?" The man laughed. " _Still_? Oh, Gajeel, how cruel. Keeping the truth from her isn't doing yourself any favors. You know that, one way or another, she's going to find out—and she's going to hate you all the same."

"Shut up!" Gajeel snarled, lunging at the man who dodged his attack easily.

"Tel her, Gajeel," the man taunted. "Tell her how you're responsible for the death of that young girl's mother."

I felt my entire body turn to ice as he spoke, and Gajeel's eyes met mine instantly. The guilt, fear, and anger in them at that moment told me the cloaked man had been telling the truth. _But there has to be more to the story, right?_

"Gajeel?" Dee's voice from behind me grabbed both Gajeel's and my attention, and we looked at her. She was standing directly behind me, and slowly approached the edge of the barrier. "Gajeel, what is he talking about?"

Something in Gajeel darkened, and his crimson gaze fell to the ground. "It was my fault Lorelei was killed on that mission ten years ago," he said, quietly.

"Ah-ah," the cloaked man chimed in, "tell her the truth, Black Steel. Tell her who it was that took her mother's life."

"Gajeel?" She asked, the sadness in her voice causing my own chest to tighten.

"Dee, I'm sor—"

"Tell her!"

"It was me!" Gajeel shouted, looking defeated once the words had been said. "I killed her."

"No." Dee sank to the ground, shaking her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. "No, that can't be true. You loved mom; you wouldn't have killed her."

The cloaked man cackled, and the barrier around us suddenly faded away. "You see, little girl, Gajeel did indeed take your mother's life. In order to complete the mission and save his own life, he killed your mother with his own two hands. He could have given up his own life to save hers, but he didn't. Like a coward, he sacrificed her so that he could live."

"Shut up!" The snarl tore itself from my throat before I could stop it, and I was running towards him. "Solid Script: Fire!" I threw the word at him, putting as much magic into it as I could. Even from where I stood, I could feel the heat coming off of it, and I knew it would hit him.

When it did, the cloak around him caught fire, and soon he was engulfed in flames. I frowned, however, when he seemed to be disappearing as the flames burned out. Smoke was the only thing left behind as the cloak burned itself out, and there was the smallest scent of burning paper and ink in the air.

"What the?" Gajeel frowned, examining the smoking remains of the cloak.

"The cloaked man was never real," I said.

The three of them looked at me in confusion. "What do you mean?" Dee asked.

"It was a paper doll, merely a puppet being controlled by its magic caster," I explained. "When Gajeel and I first faced him, I noticed the smell of ink coming off of him, and he was able to seemingly disappear and reappear incredibly fast. That was all due to the fact that it was a doll. If they are destroyed, they can be recreated quickly, making it seem like they're just reappearing, instead of being remade completely."

"But how could it use magic?" Gajeel asked.

"If its caster was strong enough, he could transmit his magic onto the doll. For someone who has been using Solid Script for years, and who has also mastered the use of paper dolls, such a task would be easy."

"And who would its caster be?" Eli inquired.

I turned on him, meeting his eyes with a firm gaze. "I think you know exactly who has been controlling that paper doll, Eli. You have Gajeel and I both gathered here now, so you can drop the act."

"Levy, what are you talking about?" Dee asked, frowning at me.

I continued staring at Eli, whose gaze never left mine. "Figured it out already, eh?" He finally sighed, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Eli?" "Dad?" Gajeel and Dee both asked in confusion.

He ignored them, still looking at me. "When did you find out?"

"As the paper doll was disappearing," I said. "I remembered smelling this same type of ink in your house once. He seemed to know my fighting style as well, something that could have only been learned by watching me use my magic a lot—which you did, every day as I trained Deidre."

"That doesn't prove it was dad!" Dee snapped, angrily, as she stood beside her father. "Anyone could have been spying on us during training."

"The magic cancelling dagger the cloaked man used also belonged to your father," I told her. "When he sliced my hand with it, I caught a glance at the hilt. It was initialed E.C. Elijah Carlton. Your father is a collector of rare weapons, isn't he? The mission Gajeel and I went on a month ago for him was for a rare weapon, since he's a collector. As it turned out, he knew exactly what he was sending us after, and he knew it wasn't a sword, but something far more dangerous."

"I must say I'm rather impressed that you put it all together so quickly," Eli smiled, nodding slightly. "I thought it would have taken much longer for you to put the pieces together."

"Dad," Dee frowned, "it isn't true, is it?"

"Levy is telling the truth," he said. "The paper doll belonged to me. I used him to lure Gajeel here, knowing that capturing the three of us would be the easiest way to ensure he would come."

"Why?" Gajeel asked, stepping towards him.

Eli glared at him. "Why? You know why, Gajeel. You took my wife away from me—Deidre's mother—and you simply ran away as if it never happened!"

 ** _~Gajeel~_**

"But that can't be true," Deidre said, looking between her father and me. "Dad, Gajeel wouldn't do that, would he?"

Eli sighed, placing his hands on his daughter's face, "I'm so sorry, Deidre, for keeping the truth from you for this long, but that doesn't change the fact that it is indeed the truth. Gajeel is the one who killed your mother."

Tears ran down the girl's face as her green eyes met Gajeel's. "Why did you do it?" She asked.

"I—"

"It doesn't matter why," Eli snapped, "all that matters is that he did, and he feels no remorse for it. He killed her and then ran away, too ashamed to face us."

"I don't believe that," Levy spoke up, startling me. "If Gajeel did what you say he did, then there had to have been a good reason. He—"

"Defending him is pointless," Eli said. "What's done is done, it matters not anymore. You have so kindly delivered the Life Pen to me, so my dearest Lorelei will be with us once again all-too-soon."

"Eli, you can't use that!" Levy protested. "You read the article I translated for you—you know what will happen if you use it!"

"What's a Life Pen?" I asked.

"That light pen we found," she answered. "I took a book from that old library that had a description of the pen and it's uses inside of it. It was created by an ancient Solid Script user who tried to achieve God-like immortality. He never accomplished that goal, but he created that pen in his attempts."

"What does it do?"

Eli answered my question before Levy could even open her mouth to speak. "It can bring someone back from the dead."

"That's impossible," I gasped.

"Not quite," he grinned. "With the proper spell, the Life Pen can transfer someone else's life into that of another, effectively bringing them back from the dead."

"Dad," Dee's frightened voice caused all of us to go silent, "you can't seriously be thinking about using something like that."

He frowned at her. "Deidre, I am doing this so that your mother may live once again. I have spent the last ten years mastering her magic and researching this pen so that our dreams of having her return to us could come true."

"Sure, I'd love for her to come back to us," Dee said, "but not like this. You'd have to take someone else's life to bring her back, wouldn't you? If that's the case, then it isn't worth it. She's been gone for ten years, and so much has changed. I do miss her, but I have learned to live without her. And killing someone else just to bring her back wouldn't make her happy—and it would cause so much suffering for other people, too."

"Enough!" Eli snapped. "I am doing this for you, Deidre! Gajeel took your mother from us, so it should be he who gives her back!"

"Then why did you go through all the trouble of capturing Levy, too?" I asked, growing more furious with every word that came out of Eli's mouth.

He smiled at me, a wicked glint in his eyes. "You took my love from me, so I will take your love from you. She will be a suitable replacement for Lorelei, will she not?"

"You aren't going to touch her," I growled, stepping in front of Levy protectively.

I was surprised when Dee also stepped in front of her father. "Dad, please stop this. Levy has been nothing but a friend to us. And Gajeel—"

"Deidre, you will understand some day," Eli sighed. "Solid Script: Sleep." He waved his hand in front of her, sending the word into her face, and immediately causing her to fall limply to the ground.

"Dee!" Levy shouted, running passed me to get to her.

"Levy, stop!"

Eli grabbed Levy arm as she reached Dee, and he pulled her closer to him. "You have a kind soul, Levy McGarden, and I thank you for that. Nothing else would be more suitable for Lorelei."

"Levy!"

"Solid Script: Sleep." He cast the same spell on Levy as I rushed towards her, and for a third time, he threw it at me. I was too distracted with getting to Levy to dodge it, and my legs buckled below me as I breathed in the gaseous word.

Eli laid and unconscious Levy on the ground beside his daughter before walking over to where I had collapsed, struggled to remain awake as the spell took over. "You will watch, Gajeel, as I use her to bring Lorelei back to life. And you will suffer as I did as your heart dies along with her."

As a walked back towards Levy, my vision faded, and I lost the battle to sleep.


	13. And it Ends at 0

"Damn it," I grumbled, my head throbbing as the effects of Eli's damned sleeping spell began to wear off. The rest of my body was just as sore, no thanks to the way I had been strung from the ceiling by chains attached to my wrists.

Looking around, I noted that we were no longer in the forest, but in a building somewhere.

"Finally awake, I see," Eli said, coming down a set of stairs which led up into darkness.

"Where's Levy," I snapped, immediately.

"She'll be here soon, don't you worry," he answered.

"And Dee?"

"Safe. I sent her away for now. One day she'll understand that I'm doing this for her, to make her happy."

"You're full of shit," I scoffed. "You're doing this for yourself. Don't even try to use Dee as an excuse for your own selfishness."

"Don't pretend to be better than me, Gajeel," he snapped, crossing the room to stand directly in front of me. "You have used that bluenette of yours for your own selfishness, so don't belittle my actions. You lied to her in a selfish attempt to keep her by your side. You knew that she would hate you as soon as she learned the truth, so you kept it from her, pretending to be something you most certainly are not."

"You're wrong."

"Say whatever you wish," he sighed, turning and heading towards the stairs. "This will all be over soon. I'll have my Lorelei back, and you will know my suffering."

"Please," I said, willing to try anything at this point, "leave Levy out of this. I'm the one who killed Lorelei, so use me to bring her back. Don't involve Levy."

"I never thought I'd see the day where Gajeel Redfox _asks_ for something," Eli said, sounding almost surprised. "Unfortunately, that has only made my decision here more absolute. If this girl means that much to you, then it can only be _her_ soul used to bring back Lorelei's."

He continued up the stairs, and I pulled uselessly against my restraints. "Eli!" I shouted, attempting to draw him back to the basement. It didn't work.

He was gone for what felt like hours before returning to the basement. My blood boiled when I spotted a small form laying limply in his arms. "Levy!"

"Shouting is pointless," Eli sighed. "She can't hear you. I hit her with a less powerful sleeping spell, so she should be waking up within the next few minutes." He attached her wrists to chains similar to mine and raised them until her feet were dangling above the ground.

"Eli, you have to stop this!" I attempted once more. "Let Levy go!"

"Shut up!" He snapped, pulling out a small knife and pressing it against Levy's throat. "I don't have to use her for the ceremony, you know. I could just kill her now, and use your soul to bring back Lorelei. Either way, this girl dies here today. You should thank me—I'm going to put her soul to good use. Or would you rather I just spill her blood and waste that precious soul?" He pressed the knife into her skin just enough to cause blood to trickle down the front of her neck and chest.

I couldn't say anything. My voice seemed trapped in my throat as all I could do was stare helplessly at Levy.

Never in my life had I felt helpless. Nor had I ever felt fear so great as I did in that instant. Sure, I had been afraid when Levy had been stabbed before and wound up in the hospital, but that didn't even compare to this.

I was completely frozen. I couldn't think, my body was in a state of shocked panic, and all I could do was stare at Levy's unconscious form dangling from the ceiling.

"I'm glad we're at an understanding," Eli said, removing his knife from Levy's throat and putting it away. "If you'll excuse me, I have a few preparations to finish before I can begin. Keep her company, will you?"

Once he was gone, I let out a long, shaky breath. "Levy," I whispered, "Levy, wake up. Come on, Shrimp. You've got to wake up. I need your brain right now to help us get out of here. Mavis knows I'm too stupid to pull off something impressive like you could, so come on. Levy…I need you."

 ** _~Levy~_**

"Levy…I need you."

The words echoed in my mind, drifting into my ears from somewhere close by, yet somehow so far away. _Gajeel._ I would recognize his voice anywhere. Though, it sounded strange. It sounded almost as if he were _pleading_ , but that couldn't be right. Gajeel wasn't one to beg, no matter the circumstances. He was always so strong and reserved, and he always seemed to have the answers.

 _Then, why does he sound so lost?_

"Levy? Levy!"

"Nn," I moaned a little, my eyes slowly opening. I blinked slowly for a long time as consciousness came back to me fully.

"Thank Mavis," Gajeel sighed, his eyes meeting mine. "Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Gajeel?" I frowned, looking around. I had been upstairs just a moment ago, locked away in one of Eli's spare bedrooms in another one of his magic barrier-cells. _He must have moved me here with Gajeel after knocking me out again._ I was getting very sick of that spell. "Where are we?"

"A basement somewhere."

"We're at their house," I nodded. "I was upstairs in one of the rooms until a few moments ago, so this must be their basement."

"You never answered my question," Gajeel frowned. "Are you alright?"

I offered him a smile. "I'm fine. My head's aching from that sleeping spell, but I'll survive. How are you?"

"Fine," he answered. It was silent for a while before Gajeel sighed. "I'm sorry, Levy."

"For what?" I asked, looking at him.

His crimson eyes met my hazel ones, and there was so much emotion in them that my breath caught in my throat. "I never wanted to drag you into any of this. I should have been honest with you about my past from the beginning, and then you could have left then and there and not gotten mixed up in everything."

"Stop right there," I frowned. "While I wish that you _had_ been honest with me from the beginning, I never would have left, Gajeel. What you did back then doesn't mean you're a terrible person. I'm sure you only did what you had to do, and I don't think Eli even knows the full story. Once we get out of here, I'd like to hear everything from you, alright? I promise, I won't be going anywhere. I don't think anything could make me leave your side at this point," I confessed, smiling.

"Levy…"

"So kind of you to join us once more, Levy," Eli chuckled, coming down the stairs. He was carrying the Life Pen, and my stomach clenched nervously. "I believe it's finally time to begin. Shall we?"

"You bastard!" Gajeel shouted, struggling against his chains. "Don't you dare go near Levy with that thing!"

Ignoring him, Eli went over to a small lever on the wall and pulled it. Out of the wall came a small table, upon which laid a form covered in a white sheet. The sound of Gajeel's chains suddenly silenced as he stilled, and his face had a look of horror on it as he looked at the table.

"Eli," he said, quietly, "that isn't—"

"She wasn't lost," Eli said, touching the form gently. "You said you couldn't get her out, but I went back for her. She was laying there, so still, but still my beautiful Lorelei. I brought her back here and immediately found a way to preserve her body until I could find a way to resuscitate her."

He grabbed the sheet and pulled it off the table, sending dust into the air which caused Gajeel and I both to cough for several seconds. Once the dust settled and I could actually see and breathe again, my eyes fell onto the form on top of the table.

Lorelei had been a beautiful woman. Her aquamarine hair laid in waves nearly halfway down the table. Her skin, though pale in death, appeared as smooth as porcelain. In life, I guessed her beauty probably could have rivaled that of Mirajane's.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Eli asked, placing a gentle hand on her face. "Once the spell has been completed, she'll be even more beautiful, and so full of life once again."

"Eli, please," Gajeel said, his desperate voice unnerving me, "you don't have to do this."

"You have put me in this position, Gajeel," Eli sighed, sadly. "If you had simply died all those years ago, I wouldn't have to do this. Remember, Gajeel, her death is on your hands." As he lifted the sickle-shaped blade above my head, a dark form shot into the room from the stairs.

"Lily!" Gajeel shouted in relief as he flew into Eli at full speed, sending him rolling across the room. "What took you so damned long?!"

"There was another barrier," he answered. "It took me longer than expected to locate and break through it." The Exceed ran between us, unfastening our chains and helping us down.

In a moment of shock, I was pulled into Gajeel's strong embrace and held tightly against his chest. "I thought for a second I was going to lose you," he murmured into my hair.

"Gajeel—"

"NO!" Eli's furious snarl came from the other side of the room, interrupting Gajeel's and my moment. "It will not end like this! I will have Lorelei back! Solid Script: restraint!"

The three of us dodged his attack, taking our own fighting stances. "Let's end this quickly," Gajeel told us.

"Eli, it isn't too late to end this peacefully," I tried, knowing by the look in his eyes that my words would have no effect.

"Solid Script: Boulder!" Once again, the three of us jumped out of the way, barely avoiding the attack in the small space of the basement. "We need to get upstairs," Lily said, "it's too crowded down here to fight effectively. He has the advantage."

"How the hell are we supposed to get passed him?" Gajeel growled. Eli was standing in the doorway to the stairs, cutting off our exit.

"I can help with that," I said, lifting my hands towards Eli. "Solid Script: Hole!" As soon as he fell into it, I closed the word over top of him. "Go!"

We ran towards the stairs, barely making it out of the basement and onto the stairs before a barrage of magic assaulted us. Lily was hit with a fair amount of it, sending him to the ground.

"Lily!" I gasped, rushing over to him. Thankfully, Lily seemed to be alright. He was unconscious, but he would be fine with a little help from Wendy and a bit of rest.

"Damn," Gajeel snapped, standing in front of us to face Eli, who was standing in the doorway of the basement, glaring at us.

"This isn't over yet, Gajeel," Eli snarled, his eyes darting to me momentarily before he shot forward.

Gajeel jumped in front of him, his arm now an iron sword. "Don't even think about it," he growled, pushing him down the stairs and back into the basement. "You aren't getting near her again, Elijah!"

"Such a foolish child," Eli snickered.

I knew immediately his attack had been a distraction when a paper doll appeared in front of me, holding a sword in his hands. He swung it down, and I had no time to counter attack before I knew the blade would be buried deep within my flesh.

The sound of metal on metal rang through the air, and Gajeel was suddenly in front of me. He had turned his skin into iron scales, and the paper doll's blade and broken in two against them. "You okay, Shrimp?" Gajeel asked.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"You and Lily get out of here."

"But—"

"Go, Levy!" He sliced the paper doll in half, charging at Eli once more.

Hurriedly, I picked the now-small Exceed up and ran up the stairs with him. I took him outside and laid him against a tree, far away from the fighting in the basement. "We'll be back for you as soon as this is over," I promised, rushing back towards the house to help Gajeel.

"I thought I told you to get out of here?!" He snapped, angrily, as he deflected an attack from Eli.

"I couldn't let you fight him on your own! I'm a Solid Script wizard, too, so I stand a good change against him, remember?"

"I don't want you here, Levy," Gajeel told me, meeting my eyes for a brief moment before they focused once more on the fight. "He wants to hurt you to get back at me, and I can't let him do that. Please, get the hell out of here!"

"I'm not going anywhere, you idiot!" I cast my fire spell, torching the two paper dolls Eli had just created and sent towards us. "I'm staying here and helping you, so just shut up and fight with me, alright?"

"Levy—"

"Aren't you the one who told me to never leave your side?" I asked, meeting his eyes with a firm, determined, gaze.

After a moment, a small smile curved his lips, and he nodded at me. "Alright Shrimp, we'll fight him together."

"Iron Dragon's Roar!"

"Solid Script: Tornado!" My word mixed with his roar, sending it spinning at an even more deadly speed towards Eli. He managed to dodge most of the attack, but an iron shard planted itself deep into his shoulder.

"That'll slow him down," Gajeel smirked.

"Solid Script: Acid!" He threw the word at us, causing us to separate as we jumped out of the way. As we did, a paper doll appeared in front of me, a dagger raised. As the doll brought the dagger down, Gajeel ran for me, iron scales covering his skin again.

I knew what he was going to do—as did Eli—and we both knew it wouldn't work. The paper doll was holding the magic cancelling dagger in his hand, so Gajeel's scales wouldn't offer any protection from them.

"Gajeel, wait!" I tried to stop him, knowing it wouldn't work. He was already in front of me, and the dagger was already piercing his chest, plunging deep into his ribcage. "GAJEEL!"

The paper doll vanished as Gajeel fell, its job finished. I pulled him against me, trying desperately to cease the flow of blood coming from around the dagger's blade. I knew if I pulled it out he'd just bleed faster, so I didn't touch it.

"Gajeel," I pleaded, touching his face, "Gajeel say something!"

"Quit yellin'," he murmured, his voice incredibly strained.

"Gajeel, you idiot!" I shouted, unable to fight the tears that filled my eyes. They ran down my cheek in small rivers, falling onto his shirt as I leaned over him. "Why did you do that?!"

"Couldn't let anything happen to ya," he wheezed, lifting a hand and placing it gently on my face. His thumb stroked my cheek as his eyes met mine. "I can't imagine my life without ya, Shrimp."

A sob shook my body as I clutched his hand against my face. "I love you, Gajeel," I said. The words sounded more like a goodbye than a confession, which just made me cry harder.

"Say that again," he sighed, his eyes drifting closed.

"Only if you promise not to die," I whispered.

"Sorry," was all he said, his eyes never opening. His chest, was barely moving now, and the breaths he _was_ taking were shallow and sounded painful. "I…love you too. Levy." He said, his voice almost too quiet to hear.

"Gajeel," I begged, watching as his chest fell still. "Gajeel, you can't leave me." Knowing it wouldn't make a difference now, I pulled the dagger from his chest and threw it away from him, pulling him into my arms as sobs racked through my body.

Movement from across the room got my attention, and I looked up just in time to see Eli grab the Life Pen and stand above Lorelei's body, the pen raised. Before I could warn against it, he plunged the blade into her stomach. A light came from the pen, almost as if it were flowing from his body into the pen, and then into Lorelei's body.

After several seconds, Eli released the pen and fell to the floor. His face was pale and he was struggling to breathe. Leaving Gajeel, I walked over to him, staring down at his sad form.

"Why…why didn't it work?" He asked, the rest of his energy quickly draining.

"It only works if you are completely and readily willing to give up your life for that of the recipient of the magic. Obviously, you weren't."

"No…" tears filled his eyes as his energy finally left, and his body fell still.

 _Ready to give your life for theirs…_ I pulled the Life Pen from Lorelei's stomach and turned to Gajeel's still form.

I didn't give myself time to think about it. Instead, I ran to Gajeel and fell to my knees beside him. "Gajeel, I won't let you die, you hear me?" I said. "I refuse to let you die."

Into his chest it went. I felt sick as I shoved it into him, but I ignored it. _Gajeel, please. You can't die like this._

The same light from before came from the pen, and I felt my energy draining quickly into it. I couldn't stop the pained cry that left me as I struggled to hold onto the handle of the pen. Eventually, I collapsed onto Gajeel, unable to even hold my head up. _Please…work._ My thoughts were growing sluggish, and I knew I didn't have much time left. _Gajeel…_

Suddenly, Gajeel's chest heaved, and he took a gasping breath. The pen fell from his body as he hurriedly sat up and looked around, appearing utterly bewildered.

"Levy!" He gasped, realizing I was laying on him. He pulled me into his lap, worry clear on his face.

I managed a smile as I slumped against him. "So…happy." That was all the more I could say. I wanted to tell him I loved him, and to kiss him, but I couldn't move. My body was failing me.

The more alive Gajeel was, the more dire my condition became. Soon, my life will have been traded completely for his.

"Tell me you didn't do it," he said, his voice thick and his eyes bright. He knew the answer, even without the small nod that I gave him. "Damn it, Levy," he whispered, pulling me against his chest.

"L-love…" It was no use. My voice wouldn't work. My eyes were barely staying open now, but I refused to close them until I got to look into his eyes one more time. I wanted to see those beautiful crimson eyes I had fallen so in love with. I wanted to look at his pierced face, and see him scowl at me. Just one more time.

When he pulled back to look at me, tears of relief filled my eyes. _I got to see them again._

"I love you, Levy," he said, understanding what I had been trying to say. "I'm an idiot for not saying it sooner, but I love you."

I smiled, letting out a long sigh. My chest felt so heavy. It took so much effort just to move it, and it was getting harder and harder to do.

As I was about to give in to the sweet feeling of numbness, Gajeel lips were on mine. He kissed me firmly, and it tasted of salt and was rather wet. _Am I crying?_

No, it wasn't me.

When he pulled away, tears were streaming unhindered down his face. "I need you, Levy, you can't leave me."

 _Gajeel. I…love…_


	14. Epilogue

**Here it is: the final chapter! Thank you all so much for reading Countdown, and I hope you've all enjoyed it! (Well, as much as you can...I suppose... XD)**

After that final moment, Levy took her last breath, and gave Gajeel her last smile. He told the guild later that she had looked peaceful when she passed, and that she seemed almost at ease.

Lily had offered to carry her back to Magnolia, considering Gajeel's weak condition, but he had refused. It took several hours, but finally they had made it back to Fairy Tail. Once they arrived, everything seemed to blur together. I guild went into shock at the news of Levy's death, and no one knew really what to do.

Jet and Droy had both blamed Gajeel for Levy's death in their grief, but he had merely offered a quiet apology. He didn't really speak to anyone for several weeks after it happened.

I couldn't blame him. I locked myself inside my apartment for over a month, not even letting Natsu and Happy inside. I had destroyed the novel I had been sharing with her, and I had even thought about leaving the guild. In the end, I knew that wouldn't make her happy.

It took a long time, but the guild eventually began returning to normal—or, as normal as it could be. Things were never really the same after that. Gajeel became secluded and never really returned to the guild much, Jet and Droy left the guild altogether, and it took years before anyone had the heart to clean out Levy's apartment in Fairy Hills.

Inside her apartment, I found a letter. It was addressed in her unmistakable handwriting, and sealed with wax. I never found it in my heart to open it, since it wasn't written for me, so to this day, I still do not know what was written inside that letter.

The only one who knows is the person it was addressed to. The person Levy loved most in this world.

Gajeel.

 **Again, thank you all so much for reading!**

 **Also! There will be ONE MORE CHAPTER to finish off the story completely! It will be Levy's letter to Gajeel, and it'll wrap up the story. I'll try to get it posted soon!**

 **Thanks! And happy reading! ^_^/**


End file.
